rub
/ɹʌb/ verb B2- 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
- 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
- To hinder; to cross; to thwart.
- To touch the jack with the bowl.
He/she/it rubs · Past rubbed · Past participle rubbed · -ing form rubbing
Verb forms
- Base form
- rub
- He/she/it
- rubs
- Past
- rubbed
- Past participle
- rubbed
- -ing form
- rubbing
Phrasal verbs and expressions
- rub along To survive or get by with some difficulty.
- rub away To rub in order to erase
- rub down To rub from top to bottom, e.g. for cleaning, stripping p...
- rub in To apply by rubbing.
- rub off Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see rub, off.
- rub out To delete or erase or remove (something) by rubbing, espe...
- rub up To polish or scrub; to cover (something with a substance)...
From the library
Sherlock Holmes chuckled to himself, and appeared to be about to make some remark, when Lestrade, who had been in the front room while we were holding this conversation in the hall, reappeared upon the scene, rubbing his hands in a pompous and self-satisfied manner.
“I didn’t bite him,” said the Lion, as he rubbed his nose with his paw where Dorothy had hit it.
A GROOM used to spend whole days in currycombing and rubbing down his Horse, but at the same time stole his oats and sold them for his own profit.
Holmes chuckled and rubbed his hands.
Other matches
- rub An act of rubbing. B2
- rub along To survive or get by with some difficulty.
- rub away To rub in order to erase
- rub down To rub from top to bottom, e.g. for cleaning, s...
- rub in To apply by rubbing.
- rub off Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: ...
- rub out To delete or erase or remove
- rub up To polish or scrub
Learn rub in real texts
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