Ruandan
Ruandan

rub


Definition: Meaning of, rub in English to English dictionary.

Pronunciation: / rʌb /

  • verb
  • synonym
  • antonym
Word Forms:
Prsesent Past Past Participle
rub rubbed rubbed
Present Participle Third Person Singular
rubbing rubs
  1. [intransitive and transitive] to move your hand, or something such as a cloth, backwards and forwards over a surface while pressing firmly [↪  stroke]
    SYNONYM
    Not found!
    ANTONYM
    Not found!
  2. [intransitive and transitive] to make something press against something else and move it around
    SYNONYM
    Not found!
    ANTONYM
    Not found!
  3. [intransitive and transitive] if shoes, clothes, or parts of a machine rub, they move around while pressing against another surface, often causing pain or damage
    SYNONYM
    Not found!
    ANTONYM
    Not found!
  4. [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to put a substance into or onto a surface by pressing it and moving it about with your fingers or something such as a cloth
    SYNONYM
    Not found!
    ANTONYM
    Not found!
  5. rub shoulders with somebody informal American English to meet and spend time with people, especially rich and famous people
    SYNONYM
    Not found!
    ANTONYM
    Not found!
  6. rub salt into the wound informal to make a bad situation even worse for someone
    SYNONYM
    Not found!
    ANTONYM
    Not found!
  7. rub somebody up the wrong way British English informal American English informal to annoy someone by the things you say or do, usually without intending to
    SYNONYM
    Not found!
    ANTONYM
    Not found!
  8. be rubbing your hands informal to be pleased because something has happened which gives you an advantage, especially because something bad has happened to someone else
    SYNONYM
    Not found!
    ANTONYM
    Not found!
  9. rub somebody's nose in it/in the dirt informal to keep reminding someone about something they did wrong or failed to do, especially in order to punish them
    SYNONYM
    Not found!
    ANTONYM
    Not found!
  10. not have two pennies/halfpennies/beans to rub together British English old-fashioned to not have any money
    SYNONYM
    Not found!
    ANTONYM
    Not found!
synonym
antonym
  • noun
  • synonym
  • antonym
Word Forms:
Singular Plural
rub rubs
  1. give somebody/something a rub to rub something or MASSAGE someone for a short time
    SYNONYM
    Not found!
    ANTONYM
    Not found!
  2. there's/here's the rub literary used when saying that a particular problem is the reason why a situation is so difficult - often used humorously
    SYNONYM
    Not found!
    ANTONYM
    Not found!
synonym
antonym

rub used in phrases

  • Rub al-Khali (noun)
    1. a desert in southern Saudi Arabia
  • rub elbows (verb)
    1. socialize with, esp. with people of higher class or status
  • rub shoulders (verb)
    1. socialize with, esp. with people of higher class or status
  • rub up (noun)
    1. a review that refreshes your memory
  • rub-a-dub (noun)
    1. the sound made by beating a drum
  • More

rub used in phrasal verbs

  • rub along (phrasal verb)
    1. to live or work with someone in a friendly way
  • rub down (phrasal verb)
    1. to dry someone’s body by rubbing it with a towel
    2. to clean a horse’s body by rubbing it with a brush
  • rub in (phrasal verb)
    1. to mix something such as butter or fat into another substance such as flour, using your fingers
    2. rub it in used to remind someone of something stupid or bad that they did
  • rub off (phrasal verb)
    1. if a quality that someone has rubs off, it starts to affect another person so that they start to have that quality too
  • rub out (phrasal verb)
    1. British English to remove with a rubber something that you have written or drawn in pencil, especially because you have made a mistake
    2. to remove writing or drawing from a blackboard, whiteboard etc so that the surface is clean
  • More

most searched words

word of the day

out of print
Pronunciation: aʊt ɒv;(ə)v prɪnt
Parts of Speech: adjective
of books no longer offered for sale by a publisher
Rub al-Khali