rub up

verb

rubbed up; rubbing up; rubs up

transitive verb

1
: to revive or refresh knowledge of : recall
2
: to improve the keenness of (a mental faculty)

Examples of rub up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The push is about what can grow in the space between the real and the imagined; Leichter has stitched together a narrative that purposely, beautifully, doesn’t quite hang together, one where raw emotion rubs up against fantastical possibility. Mark Athitakis, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2023 Earth’s crust has multiple tectonic plates that can rub up against each other and cause earthquakes. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Oct. 2023 Houses with pastures That—give me an edifice—rub up Against the very fingernails! John Lee Clark, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023 The comical tone rubs up, often awkwardly, against the more serious themes the film introduces about repression and misogyny. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019 Freshman players had to rub up against the line of men to get to their showers, according to the suit. Alejandra Molina, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2023 In that extreme environment, the largest and smallest things in the universe rub up against one another. Adam Mann, Scientific American, 22 June 2023 According to The New York Times, bears rub up against objects like trees to communicate using scent, remove hair and itch themselves, and possibly, to use resin and sap as a natural tick repellent. Sage Marshall, Field & Stream, 14 June 2023 And the hallways are wider, as women during the bygone era had large dresses and needed to pass each other without rubbing up against each other. Allyson Portee, Forbes, 2 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rub up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1571, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rub up was circa 1571

Dictionary Entries Near rub up

Cite this Entry

“Rub up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rub%20up. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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