rub

Study(24)

/ɹʌb/

noun 7verb 5

Collocations

(verb.)

ADV

briskly, hard, vigorously

She rubbed the stain vigorously until it finally disappeared from the carpet.

well

She rubbed the lotion well into her dry skin before getting dressed.

gently, lightly

She lightly rubbed the stain with a soft cloth to remove it.

thoughtfully

He rubbed his eyes thoughtfully before answering the difficult question.

wearily

She wearily rubbed her sore shoulders after standing all day at work.

in, together

She rubbed her hands together nervously before walking into the interview room.

VERB + RUB

begin to

PREP

against

Her shoulder rubbed against the rough brick wall as she squeezed through the narrow doorway.

He rubbed at his tired eyes after working on the computer all day.

into

She rubbed sunscreen into her shoulders before going to the beach.

He rubbed the wet paint on the wall to spread it evenly.

with

She rubbed the stain with a damp cloth until it disappeared.

Definitions

noun

An act of rubbing.

Give that lamp a good rub and see if any genies come out.

A difficulty or problem.

To die, to sleep— / To sleep—perchance to dream. Ay, there's the rub! / For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, / When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, / Must give us pause

[…] the propriety of the cabman's shelter, as it was called, hardly a stonesthrow away near Butt bridge where they might hit upon some drinkables in the shape of a milk and soda or a mineral. But how to get there was the rub.

A quip or sarcastic remark.

In the game of crown green bowls, any obstacle by which a bowl is diverted from its normal course.

Any substance designed to be applied by rubbing.

a heat rub intended for muscular strains

verb

To move (one object) while maintaining contact with another object over some area, with pressure and friction.

I rubbed the cloth over the glass.

The cat rubbed itself against my leg.

To be rubbed against something.

My shoes are beginning to rub.

To spread a substance thinly over; to smear.

meat rubbed with spices before barbecuing

The smoothed plank, […] / New rubbed with balm.

To move or pass with difficulty.

to rub through woods, as huntsmen

To scour; to burnish; to polish; to brighten; to cleanse; often with up or over.

to rub up silver

The whole business of our redemption is, in short, only to rub over the defaced copy of the creation

noun

Any of a group of proteins similar to ubiquitin

Initialism of rich urban biker.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — the act of rubbing or wiping

wipe

noun — an unforeseen obstacle

verb — cause friction

verb — scrape or rub as if to relieve itching

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

therein lies the rub

That is where the problem is found or located.

I tried to back up my database to a USB flash drive, but it isn't big enough. Therein lies the rub.

rub someone the wrong way

To bother, disturb, irritate, or annoy.

It's a small thing, really, to leave towels unfolded, but it rubs him the wrong way.

rub it in

To add insult to injury; to emphasize one's strengths or another's weaknesses in a manner that degrades another.

Not to rub it in, but I'm working from home. So I took a swim this morning and have been thoroughly enjoying the beautiful weather.

rub off

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see rub, off.

rub off on

To be acquired by or transferred to (someone) as a result of regular exposure.

The hippie way of life seems to have rubbed off on him, as he's a flower power aficionado.

Example Bank

Give that lamp a good rub and see if any genies come out.

Wiktionary

To die, to sleep— / To sleep—perchance to dream. Ay, there's the rub! / For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, / When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, / Must give us pause

Wiktionary

I rubbed the cloth over the glass.

Wiktionary

The cat rubbed itself against my leg.

Wiktionary

I rubbed my hands together for warmth.

Wiktionary

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, rub is marked as archaic, dated. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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