rub
rub Lexical Profile
rub Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To move one's hand, a cloth, or another object back and forth firmly against a surface while applying pressure and friction.
"He began to rub his eyes sleepily after reading the fine print for several hours."
To spread, work, or apply a substance such as lotion, ointment, or seasoning into a surface using repeated pressure.
"Be sure to rub sunscreen thoroughly into your skin before spending the afternoon at the beach."
To chafe, grate, or cause soreness and irritation by scraping or pressing repeatedly against something else.
"The stiff leather of the new hiking boots started to rub painfully against her heels."
• noun
An act of moving one's hand, a cloth, or another object firmly back and forth over a surface, especially to clean, dry, or soothe it.
"After a long day of hiking, a gentle rub on his sore shoulders helped relieve the tension."
A mixture of coarsely ground spices, herbs, salt, and sugar applied to the surface of raw meat, poultry, or fish to flavor it before cooking.
"The chef coated the brisket in a smoky paprika and garlic rub before placing it in the smoker."
A central difficulty, obstacle, or crux that complicates a situation or plan.
"The proposal sounds wonderful in theory, but the rub is that we lack the budget to fund it."
An ointment, liniment, or topical lotion designed to be massaged into the skin to soothe muscle aches or congestion.
"She applied a menthol chest rub to help ease her coughing throughout the night."
• Rhymes for rub
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in Middle English as 'rubben' in the 14th century, the word is likely of Low German or Scandinavian origin, related to East Frisian 'rubben' (to scratch or rub). Its sense of a 'difficulty or impediment' was famously popularized by William Shakespeare in Hamlet's soliloquy ('ay, there's the rub'), drawing on a metaphor from the game of lawn bowls where an uneven patch of ground diverts the ball.