rub
Americanverb (used with object)
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rubs,
present (3rd person singular)
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rubbed,
past participle, past
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rubbing
present participle
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to subject the surface of (a thing or person) to pressure and friction, as in cleaning, smoothing, polishing, coating, massaging, or soothing.
to rub a table top with wax polish; to rub the entire back area.
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to move (something) back and forth or with a rotary motion, as against or along another surface.
to rub the cloth over the glass pane.
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to spread or apply (something) with pressure and friction over something else or a person.
to rub lotion on her chapped hands.
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to move (two things) with pressure and friction over or back and forth over each other (often followed bytogether ).
He rubbed his hands together.
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to mark, polish, force, move, etc. (something) by pressure and friction (often followed by over, in, orinto ).
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to remove by pressure and friction; erase (often followed by off orout ).
verb (used without object)
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rubs,
present (3rd person singular)
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rubbed,
past participle, past
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rubbing
present participle
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to exert pressure and friction on something.
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to move with pressure against something.
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to admit of being rubbed in a specified manner.
Chalk rubs off easily.
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Chiefly British. to proceed, continue in a course, or keep going with effort or difficulty (usually followed by on, along, orthrough ).
He manages to rub along.
noun
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rubs
plural
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an act or instance of rubbing.
an alcohol rub.
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something that annoys or irritates one's feelings, as a sharp criticism, a sarcastic remark, or the like.
to resent rubs concerning one's character.
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an annoying experience or circumstance.
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an obstacle, impediment, or difficulty.
We'd like to travel, but the rub is that we have no money.
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a rough or abraded area caused by rubbing.
verb phrase
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rub down
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to smooth off, polish, or apply a coating to.
to rub a chair down with sandpaper.
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to give a massage to.
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rub out
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to obliterate; erase.
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Slang. to murder.
They rubbed him out before he could get to the police.
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rub off on to become transferred or communicated to by example or association.
Some of his good luck must have rubbed off on me.
idioms
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rub up, to refresh one's memory of (a subject, language, etc.).
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rub salt in / into someone's wounds. salt.
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rub it in, to emphasize or reiterate something unpleasant in order to tease or annoy.
The situation was embarrassing enough without having you rub it in.
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rub the wrong way, to irritate; offend; annoy.
a manner that seemed to rub everyone the wrong way.
verb
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to apply pressure and friction to (something) with a circular or backward and forward motion
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to move (something) with pressure along, over, or against (a surface)
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to chafe or fray
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(tr) to bring into a certain condition by rubbing
rub it clean
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(tr) to spread with pressure, esp in order to cause to be absorbed
he rubbed ointment into his back
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(tr) to mix (fat) into flour with the fingertips, as in making pastry
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to remove or be removed by rubbing
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bowls (of a bowl) to be slowed or deflected by an uneven patch on the green
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to move against each other with pressure and friction (esp in the phrases rub one's hands , often a sign of glee, anticipation, or satisfaction, and rub noses , a greeting among Inuit people)
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informal to remind someone unkindly of his failing or error
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to arouse anger (in); annoy
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informal to mix with socially or associate with
noun
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the act of rubbing
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an obstacle or difficulty (esp in the phrase there's the rub )
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something that hurts the feelings or annoys; rebuke
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bowls an uneven patch in the green
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any roughness or unevenness of surface
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golf an incident of accidental interference with the ball
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informal a piece of good or bad luck
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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rubsimple
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rubssimple
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have rubbedperfect
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has rubbedperfect
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am rubbingprogressive
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are rubbingprogressive
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is rubbingprogressive
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have been rubbingperfect progressive
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has been rubbingperfect progressive
Past
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rubbedsimple
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had rubbedperfect
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was rubbingprogressive
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were rubbingprogressive
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had been rubbingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rub
1300–50; 1860–65 rub for def. 18b; Middle English rubben (v.); cognate with Frisian rubben, Danish rubbe, Swedish rubba
Explanation
To rub is to push firmly and repeatedly, like when you rub your sore foot. When Hamlet says, "aye, there's the rub," he's not talking about getting a massage. Rub, as a noun, is an obstacle or something in your way. You can rub someone's aching back or rub sunblock on your arms and legs. You can also watch chunks of melting ice on a lake's surface rub against each other or complain that your new shoes rub your heels and give you blisters. Colloquially, you might rub off on your friends, or begin to influence them by your mere presence. If, however, you rub them the wrong way, you irritate or annoy them. The noun rub is not used nearly as often as the verb, but people do love to allude to Hamlet's "aye, there's the rub" line in the "to be or not to be" soliloquy, referring to the unforeseen dreams of death that haunt mankind.
Vocabulary lists containing rub
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But he says it’s better than the alternative — forgetting it’s there and reaching up to scratch or rub his face.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
McKay's answer is to have someone independent check the map before anyone uses it and rub out the lines that are wrong.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
But here’s the rub: Any forecast embeds an underlying path for interest rates.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Cartilage begins to break down faster than it can be replaced, eventually allowing bones to rub against one another.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
I rub my eyes and blink in the dim light of the ’tween deck.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
Margaret Keane’s big-eyed children gaze unabashedly at a girl sketched by Pablo Picasso, and cartoonist Rose O’Neill rubs elbows with Vincent van Gogh.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
He's recovering well back at home enjoying chin rubs and purring loudly.
From BBC ● Apr. 1, 2026
Bear will embark on a slower-paced chapter on the Sunshine Coast with one of his former handlers, getting belly rubs and playing his favourite game, fetch.
From Barron's ● Mar. 25, 2026
I suppose I could give them some of my savings, but that rubs me the wrong way.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 10, 2026
Candie rubs his arm gently and says, “That’s right, Earl, you can throw down in the kitchen—throw down your apron and call Pizza Hut.”
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
"I climbed into bed, I turned over and I saw something outside. I rubbed my eyes because my vision is failing and I could still see it and it moved," she said.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
Huerta rubbed shoulders with some of America's most influential people over decades in the public eye.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Any success they achieved rubbed off on my hometown, as it did during that magical 2002 run.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
Boston’s straight-up, thunderous rock rubbed off on Def Leppard, Journey, Van Halen and Nirvana.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Here and there they saw the gleam of naked rock, where the hill had been rubbed raw.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Bancroft was caught rubbing sandpaper on the ball the same day.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
When Saint slipped and hurt her arm, the Method actor said she decided to use the pain and can be seen rubbing her elbow in the film.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
In the kitchen, Gruel recommends rubbing it with avocado oil, salt and fresh herbs.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
The feeling of responsibility is probably rubbing up against your financial and personal boundaries.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
“Shouldn’t we dip his stub into some rubbing alcohol or something? Don’t we have ointment?”
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
