rub

B2 Topic:Space, Position & Direction

US /ɹʊb/ UK /ɹʌb/ See IPA manual

Freq #4021

Meanings

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.
2

verb
To press against something and cause discomfort through friction.

My new shoes are starting to rub against my heels.
3

verb
To spread a substance over a surface by rubbing.

He rubbed sunscreen onto the children's faces.
4

noun
The act of rubbing something.

Give the table a quick rub with this cloth.
5

noun
A difficulty or problem.

The plan sounds great, but there's the rub: we have no money.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

4 noun · the act of rubbing something. wipe

5 noun · a difficulty or problem. catch snag hitch

Word family

Forms rubbedrubbingrubs

Derived forms backrubfootrubrerubrub-boardrub-boardistrub-offrub-uprubbablerubberrubbingrubboardrubproof

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”)).

rubben Middle English *rubbōną Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

External links

# rub

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /ɹʊb/
**IPA (UK):** /ɹʌb/
**Frequency rank:** 4021

## Meanings
1. To move your hand or an object back and forth over a surface with pressure.
2. To press against something and cause discomfort through friction.
3. To spread a substance over a surface by rubbing.
4. The act of rubbing something.
5. A difficulty or problem.

## Examples
- She rubbed her hands together to keep warm.
- My new shoes are starting to rub against my heels.
- He rubbed sunscreen onto the children's faces.
- Give the table a quick rub with this cloth.
- The plan sounds great, but there's the rub: we have no money.

## Derived Forms
- backrub
- footrub
- rerub
- rub-board
- rub-boardist
- rub-off
- rub-up
- rubbable
- rubber
- rubbing
- rubboard
- rubproof

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: rubben
- Root: *rubbōną

## 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”)).

## AI Etymology
Rub is 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”)). Modern senses include to move your hand or an object back and forth over a surface with pressure. and to press against something and cause discomfort through friction.. The wider word family includes derivatives such as backrub, footrub, rerub, rub-board, rub-boardist, and rub-off.

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction

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rub

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