rub
verb (used with object)
to subject the surface of (a thing or person) to pressure and friction, as in cleaning, smoothing, polishing, coating, massaging, or soothing.
were rubbing
-
past progressiveof rub.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
With the race taking place on the only main road in the region, runners were rubbing hard shoulders with huge mining trucks.
From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2024
By the mid-1600s, Europeans were rubbing palm oil on their own skin, too.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2021
Hefele held his head in disbelief but he and the rest of the people in the stadium were rubbing their eyes in wonder six minutes later when Izzy Brown missed an even clearer opportunity.
From The Guardian ● May 29, 2017
John Sawers, the former head of MI6, said in his evidence to the committee that “our adversaries were rubbing their hands with glee,” after Mr. Snowden’s revelations.
From New York Times ● Mar. 12, 2015
Even though we were known hunters, it wouldn't have been good to go carrying a 150-pound deer through the streets of District 12 in daylight like we were rubbing it in the officials' faces.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
