rub
verb/rʌb/
/rʌb/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they rub | /rʌb/ /rʌb/ |
| he / she / it rubs | /rʌbz/ /rʌbz/ |
| past simple rubbed | /rʌbd/ /rʌbd/ |
| past participle rubbed | /rʌbd/ /rʌbd/ |
| -ing form rubbing | /ˈrʌbɪŋ/ /ˈrʌbɪŋ/ |
- [transitive, intransitive] to move your hand, a cloth, etc., backwards and forwards over a surface while pressing it
- rub something He sat up on the hard bunk and rubbed his eyes.
- She rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
- rub something + adv./prep. He rubbed a hand wearily over his eyes.
- rub something/yourself with something Rub the surface with sandpaper before painting.
- rub something/yourself against something The cat rubbed itself against my legs.
- rub at something I rubbed at the stain on the cloth.
- rub against something Animals had been rubbing against the trees.
- rub something/yourself + adj. Rub the surface smooth.
- She rubbed her hair dry quickly with a towel.
- rub + noun 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.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- hard
- vigorously
- well
- …
- begin to
- against
- at
- into
- …
- [transitive, intransitive] to press two surfaces against each other and move them backwards and forwards; to be pressed together and move in this way
- rub something She rubbed her hands in delight.
- In some cultures, people traditionally greet each other by rubbing noses.
- rub something together She rubbed her hands together in effort to warm them.
- He made a fire by rubbing sticks together.
- rub together It sounded like two pieces of wood rubbing together.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- hard
- vigorously
- well
- …
- begin to
- against
- at
- into
- …
- [intransitive, transitive] (of a surface) to move backwards and forwards many times against something while pressing it, especially causing pain or damage
- The back of my shoe is rubbing.
- rub on/against something The wheel is rubbing on the mudguard.
- Their perpetually wet clothes rubbed against their skin.
- rub something (+ adj.) The horse's neck was rubbed raw (= until the skin came off) where the rope had been.
- [transitive] to spread a liquid or other substance over a surface while pressing it
- rub something into/onto something She rubbed the lotion into her skin.
- rub something on/over something Rub salt over the fish before cooking.
- rub something in Put a little cream onto each hand and rub it in well.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- hard
- vigorously
- well
- …
- begin to
- against
- at
- into
- …
More Like This Consonant-doubling verbsConsonant-doubling verbs
Word OriginMiddle English (as a verb): perhaps from Low German rubben, of unknown ultimate origin. The noun dates from the late 16th cent.
Idioms
See rub in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionarynot have two cents, pennies, brain cells, etc. to rub together
- (informal) to be very poor, stupid, etc.
rub somebody’s nose in it
- (informal) to keep reminding somebody in an unkind way of their past mistakes
rub salt into the wound | rub salt into somebody’s wounds
- to make a difficult experience even more difficult for somebody
rub shoulders with somebody
(North American English also rub elbows with 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.
rub somebody up the wrong way (British English)
(North American English rub somebody the wrong way)
- (informal) 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.
Check pronunciation:
rub