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rub(verb)/rʌb/ /rʌb/Verb Forms- to move your hand, a cloth, etc., backwards and forwards over a surface while pressing it
- He sat up on the hard bunk and rubbed his eyes.
- She rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
- He rubbed a hand wearily over his eyes.
- Rub the surface with sandpaper before painting.
- The cat rubbed itself against my legs.
- I rubbed at the stain on the cloth.
- Animals had been rubbing against the trees.
- Rub the surface smooth.
- She rubbed her hair dry quickly with a towel.
- I rubbed a clear patch on the window with my fingers.
Extra Examples- He gently rubbed his swollen nose.
- I rubbed my glasses with my handkerchief.
- She rubbed her hands on her apron.
- She stood up, rubbing at her back.
- to press two surfaces against each other and move them backwards and forwards; to be pressed together and move in this way
- She rubbed her hands in delight.
- In some cultures, people traditionally greet each other by rubbing noses.
- She rubbed her hands together in effort to warm them.
- He made a fire by rubbing sticks together.
- It sounded like two pieces of wood rubbing together.
- to move backwards and forwards many times against something while pressing it, especially causing pain or damage
- The back of my shoe is rubbing.
- The wheel is rubbing on the mudguard.
- Their perpetually wet clothes rubbed against their skin.
- The horse's neck was rubbed raw (= until the skin came off) where the rope had been.
- to spread a liquid or other substance over a surface while pressing it
- She rubbed the lotion into her skin.
- Rub salt over the fish before cooking.
- Put a little cream onto each hand and rub it in well.
- to be very poor, stupid, etc.
- to keep reminding somebody in an unkind way of their past mistakes
- to make a difficult experience even more difficult for somebody
- to meet and spend time with a famous person, socially or as part of your job
- He’s rubbing shoulders with stars all the time.
- She had been rubbing elbows with celebrities.
- to make somebody annoyed or angry, often without intending to, by doing or saying something that offends them
- She tends to rub people up the wrong way.
Word Origin- Middle English (as a verb): perhaps from Low German rubben, of unknown ultimate origin. The noun dates from the late 16th cent.
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