rub

verb \ ˈrəb \

|Updated on: 8 Aug 2018

Examples: rub in a Sentence

Definition of rub

rubbed; rubbing

intransitive verb

1 a : to move along the surface of a body with pressure : grate

b (1) : to fret or chafe with or as if with friction

(2) : to cause discontent, irritation, or anger

2 : to continue in a situation usually with slight difficulty

in spite of financial difficulties, he is rubbing along

3 : to admit of being rubbed (as for erasure or obliteration)

transitive verb

1 a : to subject to or as if to the action of something moving especially back and forth with pressure and friction

b (1) : to cause (a body) to move with pressure and friction along a surface

(2) : to treat in any of various ways by rubbing

c : to bring into reciprocal back-and-forth or rotary contact

2 : annoy, irritate

— rub elbows or rub shoulders

: to associate closely : mingle

— rub one's nose in

: to bring forcefully or repeatedly to one's attention

— rub the wrong way

: antagonize, irritate

See rub defined for English-language learners

See rub defined for kids

Examples of rub in a Sentence

Could you rub my shoulders?
He blinked and rubbed his eyes.
The cat rubbed itself against my leg.
The cat rubbed against my leg.
Don't rub too hard or you'll tear the paper.
He rubbed his hands with glee.
There was a squeak when the boards rubbed together.
The back of my shoe is rubbing against my heel and giving me a blister.
There are marks where the chair has rubbed against the wall.
There are marks where the chair has been rubbing the wall.

Recent Examples of rub from the Web

Are Grande and Davidson trying to rub our common faces in their blissful love life?

— meagan fredette, refinery29.com, "Are Justin Bieber & Ariana Grande Trying To One-Up Each Other On PDA?," 14 July 2018
But rubbing it in once or twice a day once the wound closes can help prevent a noticeable scar from forming.

— emily rekstis, SELF, "9 Ways to Use Bio-Oil, the Drugstore Scar Treatment People Love," 22 June 2018
Two errors, a walk and a couple of infield hits paved the way for a five-run outburst, with the Cubs rubbing it in by having Lester pinch-hit and sacrifice a run home.

— tom haudricourt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Brewers look to put runs on the board after Cubs pitchers dominated first two meetings," 10 June 2018
And in the final seconds, tempers were high after another case of what some basketball purists would call another case of the Warriors rubbing it in the face of an opponent.

— jason jones, sacbee, "Why the Cavaliers seemed annoyed with the officials (and the Warriors) after Game 1," 31 May 2018
May said of his players, who rub Feis' belly in the photo.

— manny navarro, miamiherald, "Douglas' football team plays first game since school shooting. Here's what happened | Miami Herald," 25 May 2018
After the Cavaliers crushed the Raptors in Toronto to take the 2-0 series lead and turned the city into LeBronto, the Cavs’ DJ, DJ Steph Floss, had to record a video for the Uninterrupted to call out Drake and rub it in.

— alysha tsuji, For The Win, "Cavs DJ won’t play any Drake music this series: ‘Bron’s plan’," 4 May 2018
Just acquire a tin of whichever wax was originally used, heat it up in a pot of hot water, then rub it in to the fabric.

— wes siler, Outside Online, "This cotton won't kill you," 18 Apr. 2018
Avengers: Crisis on Infinite Earths Potential copyright issues here, but ripping off DC’s most famous universe-ending crossover event would really be rubbing it in the competing comic book company’s face.

— tasha robinson, The Verge, "What’s the secret title of Avengers: Infinity War 2?," 6 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rub.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of rub

Middle English rubben; akin to East Frisian rubben to rub, scrape, Icelandic rubba to scrape

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

rub Synonyms

Synonyms

abrade, chafe, corrade, erode, fray, frazzle, fret, gall, rasp, wear;

erase, reduce, rub out, wear out, wipe (away);

bite, break down, break up, chew, corrode, decompose, disintegrate, dissolve, eat;

hone, sharpen, whet;

rub

noun

Definition of rub

1 a : an unevenness of surface (as of the ground in lawn bowling)

b : obstruction, difficulty

the rub is that so few of the scholars have any sense of this truth themselves
—Benjamin Farrington

c : something grating to the feelings (such as a gibe or harsh criticism)

d : something that mars serenity

2 : the application of friction with pressure

an alcohol rub

3 US : a combination of spices that is rubbed into the surface of meat before the meat is cooked

used a dry rub on the pork ribs

See rub defined for English-language learners

Examples of rub in a Sentence

She's an amazing cook, but she rarely has time to make meals. There's the rub.
He used his favorite rub on the steaks.
a dry rub for chicken

Recent Examples of rub from the Web

Or arrive to a meeting barefoot and then ask a female employee for a foot rub.

— scott fowler, charlotteobserver, "What's 13 feet tall, tarnished, fading? Jerry Richardson's legacy and hopefully this," 28 June 2018
So that's the rub: Do the Heat believe that cap space in 2020 will be enough to again ascend?

— ira winderman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "ASK IRA: Will restricted free agents be off limits to Heat?," 27 June 2018
And to sleep and maybe have a sweet little dream — there’s the rub, toots.

— michael andor brodeur, BostonGlobe.com, "The Weekender: Bono, Beyoncé, Neko, and Hamlet," 21 June 2018
Holliday-Williams began making her own rubs and sauces to flavor her mom’s meals and help her maintain weight.

— mary schneidau sullivan, Laurel Leader, "Flavor Garden serving treats with passion [Old Town]," 24 May 2018
Those four included two women: One received a foot rub from a prisoner and the other carried on a romantic relationship with a parolee.

— paul egan, Detroit Free Press, "Former Michigan prison officer says sexual harassment left her afraid for her life," 20 Apr. 2018
The rub lay between those who studied the fossils and those who examined the rock strata, each drawing wildly different conclusions about the age of their subjects.

— johnforristerross, Longreads, "Taming the Great American Desert," 2 July 2018
Kids like Betsy, who has been volunteering with Pet Refuge for three years, can work in the cat and dog departments, helping make sure the animals have food and water, get exercise and are shown plenty of love through belly rubs and back scratches.

— allie kirkman, Post-Tribune, "Camp uses yoga with kittens to teach youths animal care," 22 June 2018
Therein lies the rub of this Western for our times.

— National Geographic, "Yellowstone: A Place, A Drama," 18 June 2018

First Known Use of rub

1577

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

rub Synonyms

RUB Defined for English Language Learners

rub

verb

Definition of rub for English Language Learners

: to move something (such as your hand or an object) back and forth along the surface of (something) while pressing
: to move (two things) back and forth against each other
: to move back and forth many times against something in a way that causes pain or damage

rub

noun

Definition of rub for English Language Learners

: an act of rubbing a surface with your hands or an object
the rub : something that causes a difficulty or problem
: a combination of spices that is rubbed into the surface of meat before the meat is cooked