INDEX:
1. to move your hand or a cloth several times over something
2. to make one thing rub against another
3. to move over a surface while pressing against it
RELATED WORDS
to rub something off : ↑ REMOVE (3)
to rub something out : ↑ REMOVE (5)
to clean something by rubbing it : ↑ CLEAN (6)
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1. to move your hand or a cloth several times over something
▷ rub /rʌb/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
▪ 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
▷ give something a rub /ˌgɪv something ə ˈrʌb/ [verb phrase] 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’.
▷ scratch /skrætʃ/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
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.
2. to make one thing rub against another
▷ rub /rʌb/ [transitive verb]
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.
▷ scrape /skreɪp/ [transitive verb]
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.
▷ rub something together /ˌrʌb something təˈgeðəʳ/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to rub two things together :
▪ Jan rubbed his hands together to keep them warm.
▪ Male crickets make a noise by rubbing their wings together.
3. to move over a surface while pressing against it
▷ rub /ˈrʌb əgenst/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
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.
▷ scrape /skreɪp/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
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.
▷ chafe /tʃeɪf/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
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.