rub1 verbrub2 noun
rubrub1 /rʌb/ ●●● S2 verb (past tense and past participle rubbed, present participle rubbing) 
WORD ORIGINrub1
Origin:
1300-1400 Perhaps from Low German rubbenVERB TABLE
rub
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | rub |
| he, she, it | rubs | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | rubbed |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have rubbed |
| he, she, it | has rubbed | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had rubbed |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will rub |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have rubbed |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am rubbing |
| he, she, it | is rubbing | |
| you, we, they | are rubbing | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was rubbing |
| you, we, they | were rubbing | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been rubbing |
| he, she, it | has been rubbing | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been rubbing |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be rubbing |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been rubbing |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Rub the bowl with garlic before adding the breadcrumbs.
- Rubbing a dock leaf on a nettle sting is said to get rid of the pain.
- About once a month I rub wax into the table to keep it in good condition.
- Alice yawned and rubbed her eyes.
- Ann woke up and rubbed her eyes.
- Badly fitting shoes will rub more painfully if you are not wearing socks.
- Bill had fallen on the path and was rubbing his knee.
- Colin yawned and rubbed his eyes.
- Could you rub my neck? It's really stiff.
- I had to rub hard to get the marks off.
- If you rub hard the knives will become really shiny.
- precious stones that have been rubbed smooth and set in gold
- Rodriguez rubbed his leg to ease the pain.
- She washed her hands and face, rubbing the lipstick away with a flannel.
- The teacher rubbed against the blackboard, getting chalk all over his back.
- The teacher turned and rubbed what he had written off the board.
- These days rucksacks are made with specially padded straps so that they do not rub against the shoulders.
- This seatbelt is rubbing my shoulder.
- Tom spread sun cream onto the baby's back and began to rub it in.
- When the cat rubs its back against my legs, I know it's hungry.
- A fragment was rubbed into the eyes, causing them to water copiously.
- Had the ex-scumnik's laboriously acquired veneer rubbed away, though, at the prospect of mayhem?
- He rubbed polish in little circles on to the shoes that Erlich thought were impressively polished.
- Place the block oil-side down into some jeweller's rouge powder, then rub it on to the mirror edge.
- Scathach stirred, sat up and rubbed his eyes, blinking at the dawn, scratching his beard.
- Sethe rubbed and rubbed, pressing the work cloth and the stony curves that made up his knee.
- Swallowing convulsively, she rubbed vigorously at her face and hair with a large bath towel until her skin burned.
THESAURUS
to put your fingers or hand onto someone or something for a very short time: · Don’t touch the iron – it’s hot!
to touch something with your fingers in order to find out about it: · Feel how soft this material is.· I felt his forehead. It was cold.
to touch something and pick it up and hold it in your hands: · Children should always wash their hands before handling food.· The glass was very fragile, and she handled it with great care.· Please do not handle the merchandise.
to touch or handle something with your fingers, especially while you are thinking of other things: · She fingered the heavy necklace around her neck.
to move your hand over a surface while pressing it: · Bob rubbed his eyes and yawned.
to rub part of your body with your nails, often because it itches: · The dog kept scratching its ear.· Bob scratched his head thoughtfully.
to move your fingers lightly over someone’s body in order to make them laugh: · The baby giggled as I tickled him.
to touch someone’s body in a sexual way when they do not want to be touched: · The officer was accused of groping several women in his platoon.
Longman Language Activatorto move your hand or a cloth several times over something · Alice yawned and rubbed her eyes.· Rub the bowl with garlic before adding the breadcrumbs.· If you rub hard the knives will become really shiny.rub something into something · About once a month I rub wax into the table to keep it in good condition.rub something in · Tom spread sun cream onto the baby's back and began to rub it in.rub something off/from something · The teacher turned and rubbed what he had written off the board.rub something off · She washed her hands and face, rubbing the lipstick away with a flannel.rub something clean/dry/smooth etc · precious stones that have been rubbed smooth and set in gold
British to rub something for a short time: · I gave the mirror a quick rub with a cloth and it was clean again.· ''If you meet a young man'', she instructed ''bite on your lips and give your cheeks a rub to bring up the colour''.
to rub something, especially a part of the body, with your fingernails: · He sat thinking, scratching his head.· I had several mosquito bites, and it was difficult not to scratch them.· Don't scratch - it will only make the itching worse.
to make one thing rub against another: rub something against/on something · When the cat rubs its back against my legs, I know it's hungry.· Rubbing a dock leaf on a nettle sting is said to get rid of the pain.
to make something hard rub roughly on a hard surface: · Stop scraping your chair!scrape something on/against/across etc something: · We scraped our shoes on the doorstep to get the mud off them.scrape something off (something): · I'll have to scrape the ice off the windscreen before we set off.
to rub two things together: · Jan rubbed his hands together to keep them warm.· Male crickets make a noise by rubbing their wings together.
to move over a surface while pressing against it to rub against something, often causing pain or damage: · This seatbelt is rubbing my shoulder.· Badly fitting shoes will rub more painfully if you are not wearing socks.rub against: · The teacher rubbed against the blackboard, getting chalk all over his back.· These days rucksacks are made with specially padded straps so that they do not rub against the shoulders.
to rub roughly against a hard surface, often making a noise: · Outside snow plows were scraping the street.scrape on/against/along: · Three workmen came into the store -- I could hear their boots scraping on the floor.· The sound of knives and forks scraping against plates filled the canteen.· It was not until we felt the exhaust pipe scraping along the road that we realized there was something wrong with the car.
to rub against a part of the body, making it sore: · The handcuff chafed his left wrist.· My dress was too tight under the arms and had a collar that chafed.
to remove writing, film, or music from paper, a tape etc to remove part or all of a document in a computer, so that it no longer exists: · I think you should delete the second paragraph.· The computer automatically deletes any files you have not saved.
British /erase American to remove writing or pictures from paper by rubbing with a piece of rubber, or to remove writing or pictures from a board by rubbing with a cloth: · Use a pencil so you can erase your mistakes.rub something out: · I had to rub the whole thing out and start again.rub out something: · Someone had rubbed out my name.
to draw a line through a word to show that it was a mistake or that you want to change what you have written: cross out something: · She crossed out the names of people who had left.cross something out: · That's not right. Cross it out and start again.
to remove writing, film, or music that has been recorded on a machine: · Is there any way I can erase this videotape so no one will see what's on it?· Somehow the magnets had erased the entire cassette.
to remove a section from a computer document, piece of writing, or film: · Some of the descriptions are a bit long and should be cut.· A couple of the scenes had to be cut because they were too violent.
to remove something when you are preparing a book, piece of film etc for printing or broadcasting. : edit something out: · If you make a mistake, don't worry - we can edit it out before the interview is shown.edit out something: · They had edited out several of the most important points in the article.
to put your hand on someone or something to put your fingers or hand onto someone or something: · Don't touch the plates - they're hot!· I cut my knee last week, and it still hurts if I touch it.· Barry never lets anyone touch the piano.· "What are you thinking?" she asked, touching his arm.
to touch something in order to find out how hard or soft, hot, cold etc it is: · Just feel this material - it's so soft!· The nurse felt his forehead to see if he had a fever.· "The flowers look so real - I can't believe they're silk," she said, feeling the petals.
to move your hand over something and feel the surface of it: · She ran her hand over the satiny black surface of the piano.· The man took off his cap and ran his hand through his thick brown hair.· I ran my hand along the wall, looking for a light switch.
to move your hands or fingers quickly backwards and forwards over part of your body, while pressing down, especially in order to make a pain less severe: · Colin yawned and rubbed his eyes.· Could you rub my neck? It's really stiff.· Bill had fallen on the path and was rubbing his knee.
to rub your finger nails hard on part of your skin, for example because it itches: · Don't scratch - the rash will get infected.· He sat scratching his head, trying to think of the answer.· There's a spot in the middle of my back that itches - can you scratch it for me?
to hold something small in your hands and keep moving it around, especially because you are nervous or bored: · She fiddled nervously with her watch strap.· Stop fiddling with your toys and pay attention.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
She yawned and rubbed her eyes. He rubbed his hands together with embarrassment. I know I should have been more careful, but there’s no need to keep rubbing it in.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES Manufacturers are rubbing their hands with glee as they prepare to cash in.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN
She yawned and rubbed her eyes. He rubbed his hands together with embarrassment. I know I should have been more careful, but there’s no need to keep rubbing it in. (=stroke it in a way that shows you are thinking about something)· He stroked his chin and then seemed to come to a decision.
· He wiped his hands dry with a handkerchief.
· Anna rubbed her eyes wearily.
Manufacturers are rubbing their hands with glee as they prepare to cash in.· Ryker knelt beside her, shook her, rubbed her arms as if trying to restore the circulation.· He rubbed his arms and unfastened his balancing pole but was too weak to raise it.· Léonie rubbed her arm, very cross.· I sucked on breath mints, rubbed deodorant under my arms and on my feet.· It stared at it for a moment, rubbing its arms, and then it picked up the telephone.· Nakki rubbed his legs and arms with raw onion.· She rubbed her arm, where she had a large bruise above the elbow.· The others huddled around Jack to give him the protection and warmth of their bodies, and rubbed his arms and legs.
· I remember rubbing my Dad's back and shoulders in the hospital.· Mitchell rubbed the back of his neck, scowling.· The blanket rubbed his tender back, setting up a prickle of pain.· He stood facing the wall where the lizard stains were, rubbing the back of his neck.· She rubbed the back of her neck with a gloved hand.· But then she began to rub my back and neck, and to kiss me.· The girl yawned and rubbed the back of her head just as the wind of Jezrael's exit ruffled the yellow curls.· Andriutti was rubbing the back of his left arm with his right hand, as if it itched.
· He curled his tail round my legs, rubbing his body against me.· And she had been special, Ruth gritted to herself as she rubbed her body liberally with shower gel.
· Katherine rubbed her cheek where the pain had been.· She reached out to Connie and rubbed his cheek slowly and solemnly.· She pulled one from its hanger and rubbed it against her cheek, her eyes closed.· He pretended to rub the oft-offended cheek, and everyone laughed as Sabina grinned and went back to Mel.· Thought of fat Goldberg shuffling round the glass in the little room, rubbing his unshaven cheeks, wheezing.· The tack adds to this by rubbing the cheek against the sharp teeth.
· Now, in the reluctant dawn light, he stood eyeing the carriage and rubbing his grizzled chin.· He stood for a moment, rubbing his chin.· With her other hand she rubbed me under my chin - my other weak spot.· He rubbed his chin absently on the top of Tessa's head, so that he could look over it at the girl.· Rip rubbed his chin, and noticed that he had a long, scraggly beard.· Don't twiddle your hair, pull your ears, scratch your face, nor rub your nose or chin.
· Cardiff shook his head, rubbing at his ears.· He rubbed his ears, both of them at the same time.· The sight of one of the boys rubbing a festering ear, while carrying food, also diminished his appetite.· Mr Barraza crinkled up his face and rubbed his ears.· He sighed and rubbed his ears.· The bottle in her hand rubbed against his ear.· I rub his ears briskly and pet him.
· I rubbed my elbow, regarding him thoughtfully.· There were retro-outfit types rubbing elbows with people wearing the original gear.· She came back into the kitchen, rubbing her elbow.· Sun-bleached surfers rub elbows at the bar, and stray toddlers wander through the dining rooms.· Léonie sat up, rubbing her elbows.· In some instances, what enticed these donors to open their checkbooks was the chance to rub elbows with the president.
· Don't twiddle your hair, pull your ears, scratch your face, nor rub your nose or chin.· Mr Barraza crinkled up his face and rubbed his ears.· My bare face rubbed against the soft fuzz of her robe.· Before bringing the receiver to his face, he rubs the earpiece and mouthpiece against the sleeve of his denim jacket.
· The low mewling sound it made indicated its displeasure; those long, clawed fingers rubbed the bridge of its nose.· He poured the lotion on his fingers, then rubbed his fingers lightly over the bites.· I licked a finger and rubbed it on the stone.· She wet her finger now and rubbed at an ink smudge on the desktop.· Henry licked his finger, then rubbed it against his trouser leg.· He pinched his eyes with his fingers and rubbed.· Adam licked his fingers and rubbed them over his eyes as he tried to get accustomed to the dark.
· At the end of the massage, briskly rub your feet to revitalize your energy.· Then he reaches back with his hand and rubs his foot with it.· Then she sits on the couch, slips off her black pumps and rubs her stocking feet together.
· Boltwood rubbed a little on the forehead of a four year-old who immune system was severely depressed.· He rubbed his forehead, a look of dismay on his face that Rob had never seen there before.· Craig rubbed at his forehead in a mingling of anger and despair.· Then he rubbed his forehead. ` Sorry.
· Thousands of people will be rubbing their hands with glee.· I can see the disinfectant manufactures rubbing their hands with glee, confident of selling still stronger-smelling concoctions.· Players' agents and satellite salesmen will be rubbing their hands with glee.· And ace marksman Aldo is rubbing his hands in glee at the prospect.· No doubt the outdoor equipment industry would rub its hands in glee at the thought of such a lucrative threat to its customers.
· Today she was almost beside herself with desire, rubbing her hair dry with fierce, frantic energy.· He looked down at me and rubbed my hair with his hand.· Girls, caught by the arm, have snow rubbed into their hair like salt into a herring.· He was still holding my hand and then he rubbed my hair.· Don't rub hair with a towel after washing - blot and leave it to dry.· Captain Trung had come up, helmet in one hand, rubbing his spiky hair with the other.· He smiled and rubbed my hair.· She sat outside the tarpaulin, rubbed her hair with ghee, then filled a basin with water and a little buttermilk.
· She watched him raise one hand to rub the nape of his neck, then flex his shoulder muscles.· He was still holding my hand and then he rubbed my hair.· Then he reaches back with his hand and rubs his foot with it.· Captain Trung had come up, helmet in one hand, rubbing his spiky hair with the other.· Joe stared down at the large, rough hand gently rubbing against him.· The bottle in her hand rubbed against his ear.· Evidently terrified out of her wits, she had become delirious, mumbling incomprehensibly, her hands rubbing her stomach.· Spin the straw by placing it between the palms of your hands, rubbing them back and forth.
· Grout glared at them both as he rubbed his smarting head.· Interactivity: The sign promises luck should you rub the head of a certain fiberglass leprechaun.· She leapt out of bed as he rubbed his head, cursing.· He rubbed me on the head and said, All those white people are like that.· Simon explains, whisking off his cap and rubbing his head gently.· Cobalt sat up, swore and rubbed his head.· First the owner starts to stroke the cat, tickle its ear, or gently rub its head.· He rubbed his head rapidly, feeling his face turning red.
· She heard the click of the gate; then nothing, except the crickets rubbing their back legs together in the grass.· Elmer stands Magic on the concrete pad and rubs his legs.· An hour or so later, Marek started to rub his leg and called across a nurse because his head ached.· Nakki rubbed his legs and arms with raw onion.· As he got out of the van he heard a soft purring and felt the warm caress of a cat rubbing his legs.· The others huddled around Jack to give him the protection and warmth of their bodies, and rubbed his arms and legs.· The former was still rubbing his legs, with small grimaces of pain.· Then she started rubbing her arms and legs, like she was sitting in a snowbank.
· But then she began to rub my back and neck, and to kiss me.
· Even when you rub their noses in it, politicians can be remarkably slow to recognise reality for what it is.· A child might not complain of itching, but she might be rubbing her eyes or nose repeatedly.· The Deputy Under Secretary rubbed his nose, watched a flake of skin pirouette down to the opened pages of the file.· He kept blinking to clear his eyes and now he rubbed his nose.· He stepped forward, stopped suddenly, and rubbed his nose.· She had defined what she perceived to be reality, and she kept trying to rub Scarlet's nose in it.· They rubbed their noses on it so that globs of anthrax green snot hung off it in the morning.
· Squirt it into your hand, rub your palms together then run them through your hair, ensuring even distribution.· Fontaine bowed his head and studied his hands as he gently rubbed his palms together.· Massingham picked them up and rubbed them between his palms and thumbs and sniffed.· Doi-san squeezes shampoo into her hand and then rubs her palms together briskly.· One hand was already rubbing against the palm of the other, the susurration of skin whispering under his voice.· Matilda rubbed her palm against it and a white powder came off on to her skin.
· Leeson was looking around for inspiration, a topic that didn't rub salt into wounds.· To rub salt into the wound, they had Michael Mols sent off.· To help keep these bold bloodsuckers at bay we rubbed wet salt on our boots.· Trim any excess fat from the lamb, leaving the skin untouched, and rub the joint with salt and pepper.· This means that the rinds are dipped or rubbed with salt during their ripening period.· Boro rubbed salt into the wound by scoring with their first genuine scoring attempt.· Some traditional bacons use the dry cure method of rubbing salt into the pork's surface without adding water.· Fifth Street brought an eight, giving Dastmalchi an irrelevant pair to rub salt in Jacob's wounds.
· His large untidy head was set close to shoulders which rubbed against the long lobes of his ears.· He was kissing her shoulder and rubbing her thigh.· Having your neck and shoulders rubbed, or better still a full body massage, is a good investment.
· When peppers are cool enough to handle, the skin should rub off.· You know, the skin rubbed off with carrying the barley.· Stubborn patches of dry skin can be removed with a rough skin remover cream, rubbed in, then rinsed off.· Trim any excess fat from the lamb, leaving the skin untouched, and rub the joint with salt and pepper.· The skins can be rubbed with a little margarine prior to cooking.· Mouth upon mouth, tongue against tongue, limb upon limb, skin rubbing at skin.
· Alternatively, rub the surface with lemon, which helps to keep it smelling fresh and reduces staining.· Divide mixture by number of eggplants and rub inner surfaces of eggplants with mixture.· The loose graphite powder can be rubbed into paper surfaces to give a silvery-grey tone.· The filler is rubbed hard across the surface of the wood, wiping off the surplus filler with a clean cloth.· A small quantity of oil is sprinkled on a clean rag and rubbed well into the surface to be polished.
· He rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, waved his hand, and sat there.· Mitchell touched the silverware in front of him, rubbed his thumb in the hollow feminine side of the teaspoon.
· Leeson was looking around for inspiration, a topic that didn't rub salt into wounds.· It was rather like having a heated dagger thrust into the eyeball and twisted, then caustic soda rubbed in the wound.· To rub salt into the wound, they had Michael Mols sent off.· He just goes around there to rub dirt in their wounds.· Boro rubbed salt into the wound by scoring with their first genuine scoring attempt.
· Then she rubbed her wrists and her forehead with a cologne stick.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► rub somebody up the wrong way► rub somebody’s nose in it/in the dirt► not have two pennies/halfpennies/beans to rub together
1[intransitive, transitive] to move your hand, or something such as a cloth, backwards and forwards over a surface while pressing firmlyrub your nose/chin/eyes/forehead etc- And ace marksman Aldo is rubbing his hands in glee at the prospect.
- Battle is joined and lawyers are rubbing their hands in anticipation.
- Frankie was rubbing his hands together and Chopper merely nodded now and then with a silly expression on his face.
- Good quality barley is making £151 a tonne so, not unnaturally, both farmers and merchants are rubbing their hands.
- He was rubbing your hands to warm you up.
- Players' agents and satellite salesmen will be rubbing their hands with glee.
- The doctor was rubbing her hands, probably to warm them, but it looked like a gesture of glee and greed.
- Thousands of people will be rubbing their hands with glee.
- As a reporter he gets to rub shoulders with all the big names in politics and the media.
- But yesterday, possums, Dame Edna Everage revealed that she was fed up with rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous.
- He shows no urge to rub shoulders with the lower orders but, if anything, a tendency to keep his distance.
- Samurai warriors of the Shoguns rubbed shoulders with Eskimos and headhunters.
- The daughter of an itinerant farm worker, Ward now rubs shoulders with the rich, famous and glamorous.
- The great Council House of 1879 and the neo-Classical Town Hall rub shoulders with the bold and modern.
- The think-tank will have florists rubbing shoulders with the chief of Apple Computers.
- Voice over Here the stars for the day rub shoulders with the stars of the show.
- Boro rubbed salt into the wound by scoring with their first genuine scoring attempt.
- To rub salt into the wound, they had Michael Mols sent off.
She yawned and rubbed her eyes.rub something with something She began rubbing her hair with a towel. You’ll have to rub harder if you want to get it clean. I hurriedly rubbed myself dry.► see thesaurus at touch2[intransitive, transitive] to make something press against something else and move it aroundrub something against/on something She stood by the oven, rubbing one bare foot against the other.rub against The cat purred loudly, rubbing against her legs.rub something together We tried to make a fire by rubbing two pieces of wood together. He rubbed his hands together with embarrassment.3[intransitive, transitive] if shoes, clothes, or parts of a machine rub, they move around while pressing against another surface, often causing pain or damage: Badly fitting shoes are bound to rub.rub against/on The front left fender was smashed and rubbing against the wheel. The skin under my sock was rubbed raw (=the skin had come off).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: Can you rub some sun cream on my back for me?5rub shoulders with somebody informal (also rub elbows with somebody American English) to meet and spend time with people, especially rich and famous people: As a reporter he gets to rub shoulders with all the big names in politics.6rub salt into the wound informal to make a bad situation even worse for someone7rub somebody up the wrong way British English informal, rub somebody the wrong way American English informal to annoy someone by the things you say or do, usually without intending to8be rubbing your hands informal to be pleased because something has happened which gives you an advantage, especially because something bad has happened to someone else9rub 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 them10not have two pennies/halfpennies/beans to rub together British English old-fashioned to not have any moneyrub along phrasal verb British English informal to have a friendly relationship with someone SYN get along: We rub along well most of the time.rub along with/together By and large the Poles and Germans of the city had shown that they could rub along together.rub something/somebody ↔ down phrasal verb1to make a surface smooth by rubbing it with sandpaper: That door needs rubbing down before you paint it.2to dry a person or animal by rubbing them with a cloth, towel etc: The groom rubbed down the horses.3to massage someone, especially after exerciserub something ↔ in phrasal verb informal to remind someone about something they want to forget, especially because they are embarrassed about it: Was he trying to rub in the fact that he didn’t think much of me? I know I should have been more careful, but there’s no need to keep rubbing it in.rub off phrasal verb1to remove something from a surface by rubbing it, or to come off a surface because of being rubbedrub something off something Jack rubbed the mud off his face.rub something ↔ off She rubbed off her lipstick and eye shadow. Some of the gold paint had begun to rub off.2if a feeling, quality, or habit rubs off on you, you start to have it because you are with another person who has itrub off on She refused to give up, and her confidence rubbed off on the others.rub something/somebody ↔ out phrasal verb1British English to remove writing, a picture etc from a surface by rubbing it with a piece of rubber, a cloth etc SYN erase: Draw the outline lightly with a soft pencil. This can be rubbed out later.2American English old-fashioned informal to murder someonerub1 verbrub2 noun
rubrub2 noun EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- lemon and ginger rub
- But here's the rub - there had been one here before!
- That, of course, had been the rub.
- The lake you say you have found in me suffers a climate entirely of my own making-and there is the rub.
- To sleep: perchance to dream: aye, there's the rub.
Longman Language Activatorto move your hand or a cloth several times over something
· Alice yawned and rubbed her eyes.· Rub the bowl with garlic before adding the breadcrumbs.· If you rub hard the knives will become really shiny.rub something into something · About once a month I rub wax into the table to keep it in good condition.rub something in · Tom spread sun cream onto the baby's back and began to rub it in.rub something off/from something · The teacher turned and rubbed what he had written off the board.rub something off · She washed her hands and face, rubbing the lipstick away with a flannel.rub something clean/dry/smooth etc · precious stones that have been rubbed smooth and set in gold
British to rub something for a short time: · I gave the mirror a quick rub with a cloth and it was clean again.· ''If you meet a young man'', she instructed ''bite on your lips and give your cheeks a rub to bring up the colour''.
to rub something, especially a part of the body, with your fingernails: · He sat thinking, scratching his head.· I had several mosquito bites, and it was difficult not to scratch them.· Don't scratch - it will only make the itching worse.
to make one thing rub against another: rub something against/on something · When the cat rubs its back against my legs, I know it's hungry.· Rubbing a dock leaf on a nettle sting is said to get rid of the pain.
to make something hard rub roughly on a hard surface: · Stop scraping your chair!scrape something on/against/across etc something: · We scraped our shoes on the doorstep to get the mud off them.scrape something off (something): · I'll have to scrape the ice off the windscreen before we set off.
to rub two things together: · Jan rubbed his hands together to keep them warm.· Male crickets make a noise by rubbing their wings together.
to move over a surface while pressing against it to rub against something, often causing pain or damage: · This seatbelt is rubbing my shoulder.· Badly fitting shoes will rub more painfully if you are not wearing socks.rub against: · The teacher rubbed against the blackboard, getting chalk all over his back.· These days rucksacks are made with specially padded straps so that they do not rub against the shoulders.
to rub roughly against a hard surface, often making a noise: · Outside snow plows were scraping the street.scrape on/against/along: · Three workmen came into the store -- I could hear their boots scraping on the floor.· The sound of knives and forks scraping against plates filled the canteen.· It was not until we felt the exhaust pipe scraping along the road that we realized there was something wrong with the car.
to rub against a part of the body, making it sore: · The handcuff chafed his left wrist.· My dress was too tight under the arms and had a collar that chafed.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES Manufacturers are rubbing their hands with glee as they prepare to cash in.
(=stroke it in a way that shows you are thinking about something)· He stroked his chin and then seemed to come to a decision.
· He wiped his hands dry with a handkerchief.
· Anna rubbed her eyes wearily.
Manufacturers are rubbing their hands with glee as they prepare to cash in.PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► there’s/here’s the rub
1give somebody/something a rub to rub something or massage someone for a short time: - I get this sort of aching feeling in my nose, and I give it a rub.
Give the table a good rub with a damp cloth.2there’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