rub

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verb

ˈrəb

rubbed; rubbing

Synonyms of rub next

intransitive verb

: 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

: to continue in a situation usually with slight difficulty

in spite of financial difficulties, he is rubbing along

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

transitive verb

: 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

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

: annoy, irritate

rub

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noun

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

: obstruction, difficulty

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

Benjamin Farrington

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

: something that mars serenity

: the application of friction with pressure

an alcohol rub

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

Phrases

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

Example Sentences

Verb 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. Noun 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 See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

In the morning, whip out your clean cloth again to rub the board in circular motions, polishing and buffing. —

Alex Delany, Bon Appétit, 13 Feb. 2023 Early in the season, a Mythic Quest movie goes into development – with Joe Manganiello as star — and David can’t wait to rub it in Ian’s face. —

Michael Schneider, Variety, 11 Nov. 2022 At their extremes, one side wants to gloss over the evils of our past while the other extreme wants to rub our noses in it. —

The Salt Lake Tribune, 9 Nov. 2022 The Gazette, especially, wanted to rub the town’s nose in the mess Spook made up in Helena, where he was known as Bananas. —

Thomas Mcguane, The New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2022 Don Eladio is pleased by Gustavo’s performance and decides to rub it in Hector’s face. —

Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2022 There is no reason to rub China’s nose in it again now. —

David A. Andelman, CNN, 24 May 2022 On Sunday, Gregory took to Twitter to rub some salt in the wound. —

Dallas News, 20 Mar. 2022 The movies rub our faces in these bodies, in part to emphasize the inevitable suffering they will be subjected to but also to remind us that these bodies belong to real people. —

Vulture, 1 Feb. 2022

Noun

The chicken wings are served with a variety of sauces including medium, hot, sweet and spicy and Korean barbecue, plus a Mediterranean dry rub. —

Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 9 Mar. 2023 Tickets cost $125 per person and include a BBQ dinner, a Woodford Reserve bourbon tasting, cigar rolling, and take-home gifts for dad (Sweetbriar dry rub and Woodford Reserve cocktail kit) – separate pricing is available for just the dinner. —

Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes, 15 June 2022 One Love sauce, which is a combination of butter + garlic + green onion + coconut milk + dry rub spices and more. —

Dallas News, 2 May 2022 Google Forget about a shoulder rub after a hard day. —

Chris Morris, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2023 Inspired by tandoori masala, the robust rub here is equally delicious on chicken and cauliflower—so why not have both? —

Kate Merker, Good Housekeeping, 24 Feb. 2023 Such is one secret of this extraordinary film, and of its power to exhilarate: the shock of emotional vigor, arising from the continual rub of physical texture and effort. —

Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2023 The eternal rub of cultures is unremitting in this area. —

Vulture, 4 Jan. 2023 At CJ’s, the wings are marinated in a dry rub overnight, coated in seasoned flour then cooked in the pressure fryer, also known as a broaster. —

Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2023 See More

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.