1
as in wearing
to damage or diminish by continued friction
the brake pads were rubbed away as a result of years of use
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in grinding
to make smooth by friction
the furniture restorer rubbed the board perfectly smooth with sandpaper
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in polishing
to make smooth or glossy usually by repeatedly applying surface pressure
the butler rubbed the silver tea set until it gleamed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rubbing
The sides or water bottle pockets end up with holes in them from rubbing against my tires, which makes pushing incredibly frustrating.
—
Keely Cat-Wells, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Inoculation involved taking pus from a pock of someone with a not-very-severe case of smallpox, making a cut in the arm of the person to be inoculated, and rubbing the pus into the cut.
—Diana Gitig, ArsTechnica, 30 May 2026
Other conditions associated with eye rubbing A corneal abrasion is a scratch in the thin, clear skin that covers the cornea and can be triggered by aggressive eye rubbing or a fingernail that inadvertently touches the cornea.
—Neelam Patadia, The Conversation, 27 May 2026
Pour the marinade over and turn to thoroughly coat the chicken, rubbing the marinade between the skin and meat.
—Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for rubbing
Keely Cat-Wells, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Inoculation involved taking pus from a pock of someone with a not-very-severe case of smallpox, making a cut in the arm of the person to be inoculated, and rubbing the pus into the cut.
—Diana Gitig, ArsTechnica, 30 May 2026
Other conditions associated with eye rubbing A corneal abrasion is a scratch in the thin, clear skin that covers the cornea and can be triggered by aggressive eye rubbing or a fingernail that inadvertently touches the cornea.
—Neelam Patadia, The Conversation, 27 May 2026
Pour the marinade over and turn to thoroughly coat the chicken, rubbing the marinade between the skin and meat.
—Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for rubbing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rubbing
Verb
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The actor David Merten, from the recent, Michael Urie-starring, gay version of Richard II, manages to both show off his arms and keep cool by wearing a pleated vest with no shirt underneath.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
7 June 2026
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Seven European captains threatened to defy an order against wearing them, until, hours before England’s opening kickoff, FIFA announced that each would receive a yellow card.—
Chris Jones,
The Atlantic,
7 June 2026
Verb
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If the story of the past two years was one of slow, grinding forward progress for Russia,the story of this year is very different.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
7 June 2026
-
Nine crucial years of expansion and solidification of the pernicious institution went by, speeding the nation’s road toward a grinding war.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Another highlight of my visit was experiencing Bastien's Manicure, an in-spa collaboration with nail-care specialists Bastien Gonzalez, which pairs meticulous cuticle work and a thorough massage with a natural nail-polishing technique that eliminates the need for nail polish entirely.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 May 2026
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There’s the difficulty of sintering and polishing the ceramic, and then there’s maintaining the purity of the look.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Kaua'i’s northwest coast is one of the world's most rapidly eroding shores.—
Brianna Randall,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
-
As many others have noted, including Fortune contributor Bhaskar Chakravorti, dean of global business at the Tufts Fletcher School, this is now structurally unwinding, rather than slowly eroding.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
The six months Tran received for pleading guilty to larceny of a firearm, misleading law enforcement in a criminal investigation, and filing an application for a license to carry containing false information were served concurrently with the federal charges.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
7 June 2026
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Brunson got fouled, the Knicks had the lead back and before long Spurs fans were filing out of the arena — possibly for the final time this season.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
The formula, which is infused with a vegan keratin smoothing complex and argan oil, promises up to 100 hours of frizz-free hair and up to 38% more light reflection, as well as heat protection up to 450 degrees.—
Rachel DeSantis,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
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The Trouser Jeans are no different thanks to the wide pantlegs, smoothing waistband, and overall flattering fit.—
Ruby McAuliffe,
InStyle,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Repairing the country’s fraying social ties will be a challenge.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
26 May 2026
-
And with the existing safety net of services fraying as never before, our work is more important than ever.—
Deidre Johnson,
Denver Post,
25 May 2026
Verb
-
Inside the one that serves as Lestat’s luxe tour bus, someone is sanding down his wooden coffin.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
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By contrast, the years since then saw game designers formalizing language around the craft, focusing on sanding off rough edges, and holding the player’s hand to make sure no player had a bad experience because of an edge case.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rubbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbing. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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