Rubbed Rub Rubbing Surface I Rʌb Move Hand

• she rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
• he rubbed a hand wearily over his eyes.
• rub the surface with sandpaper before painting.
• i rubbed a clear patch on the window with my fingers.

rub

1. to move your hand, or something such as a cloth, backwards and forwards over a surface while pressing firmly
• She rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
• He rubbed a hand wearily over his eyes.
• Rub the surface with sandpaper before painting.
• I rubbed a clear patch on the window with my fingers.
• 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.
2. 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.
• It sounded like two pieces of wood rubbing together.
3. 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.
• The horse's neck was rubbed raw (= until the skin came off) where the rope had been.
4. to spread a liquid or other substance over a surface while pressing firmly
• She rubbed the lotion into her skin.
• Rub salt over the fish before cooking.
5. to have no money; to be very stupid, etc.
6. to keep reminding somebody in an unkind way of their past mistakes
7. to make a difficult experience even more difficult for somebody
8. 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.
9. to make somebody annoyed or angry, often without intending to, by doing or saying something that offends them
• See related entries: Anger
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/topic/anger/rub
• She tends to rub people up the wrong way.

Extra Examples

• Corbett rubbed his eyes wearily.
• He began to rub his hands together in glee.
• He gently rubbed his swollen nose.
• He rubbed his face briskly with the towel.
• I rubbed my glasses with my handkerchief.
• Put a little cream onto each hand and rub it in well.
• Rub the cream well into your skin.
• She rubbed her hands on her apron.
• She stood up, rubbing at her back.
• The cat rubbed against my legs.
• Rub some salt on the fish before cooking.
• She rubbed moisturizer into her skin.
• The horse’s neck was rubbed raw where the rope had been.

Verb Forms

• present simple I / you / we / they rub
• he / she / it rubs
• past simple rubbed
• past participle rubbed
• -ing form rubbing

Word Origin

• Middle English (as a verb): perhaps from Low German rubben, of unknown ultimate origin. The noun dates from the late 16th cent.