Meanings
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1
verb
To move your hand or an object back and forth over a surface with pressure.
She rubbed her hands together to keep warm.
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2
verb
To press against something and cause discomfort through friction.
My new shoes are starting to rub against my heels.
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3
verb
To spread a substance over a surface by rubbing.
He rubbed sunscreen onto the children's faces.
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4
noun
The act of rubbing something.
Give the table a quick rub with this cloth.
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5
noun
A difficulty or problem.
The plan sounds great, but there's the rub: we have no money.
Thesaurus
Common collocations
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English rubben, of unknown origin; possibly ultimately from Proto-Germanic *rubbōną, related to *reufaną (“to tear”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian rubje (“to rub, scrape”), German Low German rubben (“to rub”), Low German rubblig (“rough, uneven”), Dutch robben, rubben (“to rub smooth; scrape; scrub”), Danish rubbe (“to rub, scrub”), Icelandic and Norwegian rubba (“to scrape”). More at reave. Compare typologically Latin fricō < friō < Proto-Indo-European *bʰreyH- (whence also Russian брить (britʹ, “to shave”)).
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