Definitions for rubbing

• Definition
• Anagrams (85)

rubbing rub·bing

Spelling: [ruhb-ing]

IPA: /ˈrʌb ɪŋ/

Rubbing is a 7 letter English word. It's valid Scrabble word worth 12 points. It's valid Words with friends word worth 17 points.

You can make 85 anagrams from letters in rubbing (bbginru).

Definitions for rubbing

noun

1. an act or action of a person or thing that rubs.
2. an impression of an incised or sculptured surface made by laying paper over it and rubbing with heelball, graphite, or a similar substance until the image appears.
3. an act or instance of rubbing:
4. something that annoys or irritates one's feelings, as a sharp criticism, a sarcastic remark, or the like:
5. an annoying experience or circumstance.
6. an obstacle, impediment, or difficulty:
7. a rough or abraded area caused by rubbing.

Idioms

1. rub it in, Informal. to emphasize or reiterate something unpleasant in order to tease or annoy:
2. rub salt in / into someone's wounds. salt1 (def 23).
3. rub the wrong way, to irritate; offend; annoy:
4. rub up, British Informal. to refresh one's memory of (a subject, language, etc.).

Verb phrases

1. rub down, to smooth off, polish, or apply a coating to: to give a massage to.
2. rub off on, to become transferred or communicated to by example or association:
3. rub out, to obliterate; erase. Slang. to murder:

verb (used with object)

1. to subject the surface of (a thing or person) to pressure and friction, as in cleaning, smoothing, polishing, coating, massaging, or soothing:
2. to move (something) back and forth or with a rotary motion, as against or along another surface:
3. to spread or apply (something) with pressure and friction over something else or a person:
4. to move (two things) with pressure and friction over or back and forth over each other (often followed by together):
5. to mark, polish, force, move, etc. (something) by pressure and friction (often followed by over, in, or into).
6. to remove by pressure and friction; erase (often followed by off or out).

verb (used without object)

1. to exert pressure and friction on something.
2. to move with pressure against something.
3. to admit of being rubbed in a specified manner:
4. Chiefly British. to proceed, continue in a course, or keep going with effort or difficulty (usually followed by on, along, or through):

Origin of rubbing

Middle English word dating back to 1350-1400; See origin at rub, -ing¹

Examples for rubbing

Everybody was rubbing elbows—and other body parts—all the time.

Newman left off rubbing his hands, and assumed a thoughtful look.

He can defend himself pretty well, said Bell, rubbing his face.

Her husband had been taking a nap in the sitting-room, and he came out, rubbing his eyes.

He got a deck of cards and straddled one of the rubbing tables.

They made fire by the rubbing of sticks, shot poisoned arrows at game.

The better she does,” she said, rubbing the skin around the clamps, “the heavier it gets.

Establishment figures, Tea Partiers, evangelicals, and libertarians will all be rubbing elbows at a single theater.

For the past week, political junkies throughout my home city of Chicago have been rubbing our hands in giddy anticipation.

I often saw him chuckling and rubbing his hands as if in approbation.