rub shoulders with
idiom
informal
: to meet and talk with (someone) in a friendly way
The awards dinner gave me the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of today's greatest American poets.
Examples of rub shoulders with in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For another, Modi would not have relished having to rub shoulders with many of the other attendees, such as Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan; the latter was recently denounced by New Delhi for taking sides with Islamabad during the India-Pakistan mini war in February.
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Bobby Ghosh, Time, 2 Sep. 2025
Similarly, in an off-election year, a public fight with Democrats’ nemesis allows Newsom to remain in the national spotlight and rub shoulders with donors and activists, while fellow Democratic Senators, Representatives, and Governors are mostly out of the news.
—Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 14 Aug. 2025
Gianni Infantino got to rub shoulders with David Beckham (now a British knight of the realm), Ronaldo (the Brazilian one) and Roberto Baggio (all above).
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 16 June 2025
C’est jolie to rub shoulders with the French elite on the sunny beaches of the Cote d’Azur, and molto bene to sip Negronis on Como, Menaggio, and Garda.
—Michelle Tchea, Robb Report, 5 June 2025
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Bobby Ghosh, Time, 2 Sep. 2025
Similarly, in an off-election year, a public fight with Democrats’ nemesis allows Newsom to remain in the national spotlight and rub shoulders with donors and activists, while fellow Democratic Senators, Representatives, and Governors are mostly out of the news.
—Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 14 Aug. 2025
Gianni Infantino got to rub shoulders with David Beckham (now a British knight of the realm), Ronaldo (the Brazilian one) and Roberto Baggio (all above).
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 16 June 2025
C’est jolie to rub shoulders with the French elite on the sunny beaches of the Cote d’Azur, and molto bene to sip Negronis on Como, Menaggio, and Garda.
—Michelle Tchea, Robb Report, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for rub shoulders with
Cite this Entry
“Rub shoulders with.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rub%20shoulders%20with. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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