Rubber is a strong, waterproof, elastic substance made from the juice of a tropical tree or produced chemically. It is used for making tyres, boots, and other products.
...the smell of burning rubber.
2. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
Rubber things are made of rubber.
...rubber gloves.
...a rubber ball.
3. countable noun
A rubber is a small piece of rubber or other material that is used to remove mistakes that you have made while writing or drawing.
[British]regional note: in AM, use eraser
4. countable noun
A rubber is a condom.
[US, informal]
5. countable noun
In some card games, for example bridge or whist, a rubber is a match of three games.
Let's have a few rubbers of bridge.
rubber in British English1
(ˈrʌbə)
noun
1. Also called: India rubber, gum elastic, caoutchouc
a cream to dark brown elastic material obtained by coagulating and drying the latex from certain plants, esp the tree Hevea brasiliensis
2.
any of a large variety of elastomers produced by improving the properties of natural rubber or by synthetic means
3. mainly British
a piece of rubber or felt used for erasing something written, typed, etc; eraser
4.
a coarse file
5.
a cloth, pad, etc, used for polishing or buffing
6.
a person who rubs something in order to smooth, polish, or massage
7. (often plural) mainly US and Canadian
a rubberized waterproof article, such as a mackintosh or overshoe
8. informal, mainly US and Canadian
a condom
9. (modifier)
made of or producing rubber
a rubber ball
a rubber factory
Word origin
C17: from rub + -er1; the tree was so named because its product was used for rubbing out writing
rubber in British English2
(ˈrʌbə)
noun
1. bridge, whist
a.
a match of three games
b.
the deal that wins such a match
2.
a series of matches or games in any of various sports
Word origin
C16: origin unknown
rubber in American English1
(ˈrʌbər)
noun
1.
a person or thing that rubs, as in polishing, scraping, massaging, etc.
2.
an elastic substance produced by coagulating and drying the milky sap (latex) of various tropical plants, esp. a tree (Hevea brasiliensis) of the spurge family: now most often produced synthetically or by chemically altering latex to obtain desired characteristics for use in making automobile tires, electrical insulation, molded objects and parts, etc.: in pure form rubber is a white, unsaturated hydrocarbon, having the formula (C5H8)n
3.
something made of this substance
; specif.,
a.
an eraser
b. US
a low-cut overshoe
c. Slang
a condom
4. US, Baseball
an oblong rubber slab set in the pitcher's mound: the pitcher's foot must touch the rubber as each pitch is thrown
adjective
5.
made of rubber
verb intransitive
6. US, Slang, Obsolete
rubberneck
Derived forms
rubberlike (ˈrubberˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
(sense 2) from orig. use as an eraser
rubber in American English2
(ˈrʌbər)
noun
Bridge
a series of three games, two of which must be won to win the series
see also rubber game
rubber in Automotive Engineering
(rʌbər)
noun
(Automotive engineering: Materials)
Rubber is a strong, waterproof, elastic substance made from the juice of a tropical treeor produced chemically. It is used for making tires.
This is a recycled tire which has had its worn tread rubber replaced with new tread.
Heat and pressure is used to vulcanize the rubber and create a new tread design.
Two different rubber compounds are used in each tire.
Examples of 'rubber' in a sentence
rubber
Grease the handles of two wooden spoons with butter and wrap a rubber band around them to bind them together.
The Sun (2016)
The rubber pads that keep the hammers just clear of the bells became hardened in the cold and stopped the bells from working.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
I loved the smell of rubber - and the noise.
The Sun (2016)
Game made - plus 100 for honours as this was rubber bridge.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The game tomorrow is a dead rubber as India lead 2-0 in a series notable for its high scores.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Most of these boots have thick, ribbed rubber soles, but feature so many laces and zips that they must be a pain to get on and off.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Each time he was hauled aboard a rubber dinghy and returned to the shore by its crew.
The Sun (2011)
She wore simple cloth shoes with rubber soles because she could not afford trainers.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Seldom has a dead rubber presented such an enticing prospect.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The spider monkey clambered up the rubber hose after cleaners left it dangling.
The Sun (2008)
You could get a rubber duck dressed as a bishop from the cathedral shop.
The Sun (2013)
You could smell the rubber when we landed.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Wear rubber gloves and blend into cracks with your finger.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Now we head to a dead rubber.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The strips looked like giant rubber bands.
Christianity Today (2000)
The man was pretending to lure me away using a squeaky rubber duck.
The Sun (2016)
Say there was a smell of rubber in the car.
Austin, Valerie Self-Hypnosis (1994)
The holidaymaker tried to climb the rock face after he and a pal landed at its foot in a rubber dinghy.
The Sun (2016)
Output of natural rubber cannot easily be boosted in the short run, except by seasonal factors.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Wear rubber gloves to sort through the leaves, discarding stems or thick stalks.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Our new driver who told us it'd be all right when we smelt burning rubber on the way back.
The Sun (2009)
I look back to see the tunnel has filled with smoke; the stench of burning rubber fills the car.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The round frames have an on-trend retro feel, and the rubber nose pads stop them from slipping off your nose.
The Sun (2013)
Word lists with
rubber
America, terms used in bridge
In other languages
rubber
British English: rubber /ˈrʌbə/ NOUN
materialRubber is a strong material that stretches. Rubber is used to make things like tyres and boots for wet weather.
American English: rubber
Arabic: مـطَّاط
Brazilian Portuguese: borracha
Chinese: 橡皮
Croatian: guma
Czech: guma
Danish: gummi
Dutch: rubber
European Spanish: goma
Finnish: kumi
French: caoutchouc
German: Gummi
Greek: ελαστικό
Italian: gomma
Japanese: ゴム
Korean: 고무
Norwegian: gummi
Polish: guma surowiec
European Portuguese: borracha
Romanian: cauciuc
Russian: резина
Latin American Spanish: goma
Swedish: gummi
Thai: ยาง
Turkish: lastik
Ukrainian: ґума
Vietnamese: cao su
British English: rubber /ˈrʌbə/ NOUN
eraser A rubber is a small piece of rubber used to remove pencil mistakes.
Have you got a rubber in your pencil case?
American English: rubber
Arabic: مـِمْحَاة
Brazilian Portuguese: borracha
Chinese: 橡皮
Croatian: gumica
Czech: gumana mazání
Danish: viskelæder
Dutch: gum
European Spanish: goma
Finnish: pyyhekumi
French: gommepour effacer
German: Radiergummi
Greek: γόμα
Italian: gomma
Japanese: 消しゴム
Korean: 지우개
Norwegian: viskelær
Polish: gumka do mazania
European Portuguese: borracha
Romanian: gumă de șters
Russian: ластик
Latin American Spanish: goma
Swedish: radergummi
Thai: ยางลบ
Turkish: silgi
Ukrainian: ґумка
Vietnamese: cục gôm
All related terms of 'rubber'
cold rubber
synthetic rubber made at low temperatures (about 5°C). It is stronger than that made at higher temperatures and is used for car tyres
foam rubber
a kind of light cellular rubber made by creating bubbles of gas in the liquid material and solidifying it: often used as packaging
hard rubber
a hard fairly inelastic material made by vulcanizing natural rubber
ink rubber
an eraser for removing ink
Pará rubber
a South American rubber obtained from any of various euphorbiaceous trees of the genus Hevea , esp H . brasiliensis
peel rubber
to accelerate an automobile very rapidly, as in a drag race
rubber band
A rubber band is a thin circle of very elastic rubber. You put it around things such as papers in order to keep them together.
rubber boot
Rubber boots are long boots made of rubber that you wear to keep your feet dry .
rubber game
any game played to break a tie resulting when each side has won the same number of games
rubber jaw
a condition in which the mandible becomes demineralized and excessively mobile in animals with advanced renal disease
rubber ring
an air-filled ring made of rubber , used as a swimming aid
rubber room
a room padded with foam rubber for the confinement of a violent mentally ill person
rubber tree
a tropical American euphorbiaceous tree, Hevea brasiliensis , cultivated throughout the tropics , esp in Malaya , for the latex of its stem, which is the major source of commercial rubber
wild rubber
rubber obtained from uncultivated rubber trees
butyl rubber
a copolymer of isobutene and isoprene , used in tyres and as a waterproofing material
crepe rubber
a type of crude natural rubber in the form of colourless or pale yellow crinkled sheets , prepared by pressing bleached coagulated latex through corrugated rollers : used for the soles of shoes and in making certain surgical and medical goods
India rubber
crude , natural rubber obtained from latex ; caoutchouc
latex rubber
rubber used to make many products such as gloves , condoms , etc, and which is made from latex , a whitish milky fluid containing protein , starch , alkaloids , etc, that is produced by many plants
pencil rubber
a piece of rubber used for erasing something written in pencil ; eraser
rubber boots
knee-length or calf-length rubber or rubberized boots , worn esp in wet conditions
rubber bridge
a form of bridge in which fresh hands are dealt for each round and the aim is to win a rubber
rubber bullet
A rubber bullet is a bullet made of a metal ball coated with rubber. It is intended to injure people rather than kill them, and is used by police or soldiers to control crowds during a riot.
rubber cement
any of a number of adhesives made by dissolving rubber in a solvent such as benzene
rubber check
a check that is worthless because of insufficient funds in the drawer's account
rubber cheque
a cheque that bounces
rubber dinghy
A dinghy is a small open boat that you sail or row.
rubber gloves
gloves made of rubber , worn to protect the hands while washing up, gardening , etc
rubber goods
contraceptives ; condoms
rubber plant
A rubber plant is a type of plant with shiny leaves. It grows naturally in Asia but is also grown as a house plant in other parts of the world.
rubber stamp
A rubber stamp is a small device with a name, date, or symbol on it. You press it on to an ink pad and then on to a document in order to show that the document has been officially dealt with.
rubber-tyred
having a tyre or tyres made of rubber
smoked rubber
a type of crude natural rubber in the form of brown sheets obtained by coagulating latex with an acid, rolling it into sheets, and drying over open wood fires . It is the main raw material for natural rubber products
sorbo rubber
spongy form of rubber
sponge rubber
rubber with a spongelike consistency
rubber solution
a kind of rubber-based adhesive
silicone rubber
a rubberlike polymer prepared from certain silicones : it maintains its elasticity over a wide range of temperatures and is used in gaskets , insulation , etc.
composition rubber
manufactured rubber
rubber plantation
an estate in a tropical country where rubber trees are grown on a large scale
synthetic rubber
any of various synthetic materials, similar to natural rubber , made by polymerizing unsaturated hydrocarbons , such as isoprene and butadiene
rubberneck
If someone is rubbernecking , they are staring at someone or something, especially in a rude or silly way.
guayule
a bushy shrub , Parthenium argentatum, of the southwestern US: family Asteraceae ( composites )