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rubbing

 - 8 dictionary results

rub⋅bing

  [ruhb-ing]
Use rubbing in a Sentence
–noun
1. an act or action of a person or thing that rubs.
2. an impression of an incised or sculptured surface made by laying paper over it and rubbing with heelball, graphite, or a similar substance until the image appears.
Compare brass-rubbing.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME; see rub, -ing 1

rub

  [ruhb] ,verb, rubbed, rub⋅bing, noun
–verb (used with object)
1. to subject the surface of (a thing or person) to pressure and friction, as in cleaning, smoothing, polishing, coating, massaging, or soothing: to rub a table top with wax polish; to rub the entire back area.
2. to move (something) back and forth or with a rotary motion, as against or along another surface: to rub the cloth over the glass pane.
3. to spread or apply (something) with pressure and friction over something else or a person: to rub lotion on her chapped hands.
4. to move (two things) with pressure and friction over or back and forth over each other (often fol. by together): He rubbed his hands together.
5. to mark, polish, force, move, etc. (something) by pressure and friction (often fol. by over, in, or into).
6. to remove by pressure and friction; erase (often fol. by off or out).
–verb (used without object)
7. to exert pressure and friction on something.
8. to move with pressure against something.
9. to admit of being rubbed in a specified manner: Chalk rubs off easily.
10. Chiefly British. to proceed, continue in a course, or keep going with effort or difficulty (usually fol. by on, along, or through): He manages to rub along.
–noun
11. an act or instance of rubbing: an alcohol rub.
12. something that annoys or irritates one's feelings, as a sharp criticism, a sarcastic remark, or the like: to resent rubs concerning one's character.
13. an annoying experience or circumstance.
14. an obstacle, impediment, or difficulty: We'd like to travel, but the rub is that we have no money.
15. a rough or abraded area caused by rubbing.
—Verb phrases
16. rub down,
a. to smooth off, polish, or apply a coating to: to rub a chair down with sandpaper.
b. to give a massage to.
17. rub off on, to become transferred or communicated to by example or association: Some of his good luck must have rubbed off on me.
18. rub out,
a. to obliterate; erase.
b. Slang. to murder: They rubbed him out before he could get to the police.
—Idioms
19. rub it in, Informal. to emphasize or reiterate something unpleasant in order to tease or annoy: The situation was embarrassing enough without having you rub it in.
20. rub the wrong way, to irritate; offend; annoy: a manner that seemed to rub everyone the wrong way.
21. rub up, British Informal. to refresh one's memory of (a subject, language, etc.).
Origin:
1300–50; 1860–65 for def. 18b; ME rubben (v.); c. Fris rubben, Dan rubbe, Sw rubba

Synonyms:
14. hitch, catch, thing, trouble, pinch.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To rubbing
rub   (rŭb)   
v.   rubbed, rub·bing, rubs

v.   tr.

  1. To apply pressure and friction to (a surface).

  2. To clean, polish, or manipulate by the application of pressure and friction.

  3. To apply to a surface firmly and with friction: rub lotion on the hands; rub dye into the fabric.

  4. To move (an object or objects) firmly along a surface, especially repeatedly: rub an eraser over the blackboard; rubbed my fingers over the sore spot.

  5. To cause to become worn, chafed, or irritated.

  6. To remove, erase, or expunge: rub away a stain; rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

v.   intr.

    1. To exert pressure or friction on something.

    2. To wear or chafe with friction: My shoes were beginning to rub.

    3. To cause irritation or annoyance.

  2. To move along in contact with a surface; graze or scrape.

  3. To be transferred or removed by contact or proximity: newsprint that rubbed off on my fingers; wished some of her luck would rub off on me.

n.  

  1. The act of rubbing.

  2. The application of friction and pressure: a back rub.

  3. A substance or preparation applied by rubbing, especially:

    1. A liniment or balm.

    2. A seasoning made of ground spices and herbs, applied to the surface of meat, fish, or vegetables before cooking.

  4. An unevenness on a surface.

  5. An act or remark that annoys or hurts another.

  6. A difficulty or obstacle: "The rub for extraterrestrial life on Europa is that the moon's surface is an icy wasteland" (William J. Broad).

  7. To obliterate by or as if by rubbing.

  8. Slang To kill; murder.

Phrasal Verb(s):
rub downTo perform a brisk rubbing of the body, as in massage.
rub inTo harp on (an unpleasant matter).
rub out

  1. To obliterate by or as if by rubbing.

  2. Slang To kill; murder.


Idiom(s):
rub elbows/shouldersTo mix or socialize closely: diplomats rubbing elbows with heads of state.

Idiom(s):
rub (one's) handsTo experience or display pleased anticipation, self-satisfaction, or glee.

Idiom(s):
rub (someone's) nose in Slang To bring repeatedly and forcefully to another's attention.

Idiom(s):
rub (someone) the wrong wayTo annoy; irritate: "One can see . . . how [his] expression of his ideals and intentions must have rubbed many people the wrong way" (Christopher Lehmann-Haupt).

Idiom(s):
rub up onTo refresh one's knowledge of: I have to rub up on my French.

[Middle English rubben.]
rub·bing   (rŭb'ĭng)   
n.  

  1. The act of polishing, cleaning, or drying.

  2. A representation of a raised or indented surface made by placing paper over the surface and rubbing the paper gently with a marking agent such as charcoal or chalk.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

rub  (v.)
1377, perhaps related to E.Fris. rubben "to scratch, rub," and Low Ger. rubbeling "rough, uneven," or similar words in Scandinavian (cf. Dan. rubbe "to rub, scrub," Norw. rubba), of uncertain origin. Hamlet's there's the rub (1602) preserves a noun sense of "obstacle, inequality on ground" first recorded 1586 and common in 17c. To rub (someone) the wrong way is from 1883. To rub noses in greeting as a sign of friendship (attested from 1822) formerly was common among Eskimos, Maoris, and some other Pacific Islanders. Rub out "obliterate" is from 1567; underworld slang sense of "kill" is recorded from 1848, Amer.Eng. Rub off "have an influence on" is recorded from 1959.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: rub
Pronunciation: 'r&b
Function: noun
1 : the application of friction with pressure rub>
2 : a sound heard in auscultation that is produced by the friction of one structure moving against another
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

rub (rŭb)
n.

  1. The application of friction and pressure.

  2. Such a procedure applied to the body.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Encyclopedia

rubbing

one of the most universal and perhaps the oldest of the techniques used in printmaking. Rubbings are made by carefully pressing paper onto a carved or incised surface so that the paper conforms to the features to be copied. The paper is then blacked and the projecting areas of the surface become dark, while indented areas remain white. In East Asia, a special ink is used, and in the West, a mixture of wax and carbon black, called heelball, is rubbed onto the paper. A carefully made rubbing provides an accurate, full-scale facsimile of the surface reproduced.

Learn more about rubbing with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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