1. to move along the surface of a body with pressure grate
2. to fret or chafe with or as if with friction
3. to cause discontent, irritation, or anger
4. to continue in a situation usually with slight difficulty
in spite of financial difficulties, he is rubbing along
5. to admit of being rubbed (as for erasure or obliteration)
6. to subject to or as if to the action of something moving especially back and forth with pressure and friction
7. to cause (a body) to move with pressure and friction along a surface
8. to treat in any of various ways by rubbing
9. to bring into reciprocal back-and-forth or rotary contact
10. annoy, irritate
11. to associate closely mingle
12. to bring forcefully or repeatedly to one's attention
13. antagonize, irritate
14. an unevenness of surface (as of the ground in lawn bowling)
15. obstruction, difficulty
the rub is that so few of the scholars have any sense of this truth themselves
— Benjamin Farrington
16. something grating to the feelings (such as a gibe or harsh criticism)
17. something that mars serenity
18. the application of friction with pressure
an alcohol rub
19. a combination of spices that is rubbed into the surface of meat before the meat is cooked
used a dry rub on the pork ribs
20. to move something (such as your hand or an object) back and forth along the surface of (something) while pressing
21. to move (two things) back and forth against each other
22. to move back and forth many times against something in a way that causes pain or damage
23. an act of rubbing a surface with your hands or an object
24. something that causes a difficulty or problem
25. a combination of spices that is rubbed into the surface of meat before the meat is cooked
26. to move along the surface of something with pressure
Kitty rubbed against my legs.
27. to move back and forth against something in a way that causes pain or damage The back of my shoe is rubbing against my heel.
28. to scour, polish, or smear by pressure and friction
He rubbed oil on the wood.
29. to meet and talk with in a friendly way
Stink got to rub elbows with the president …
— Megan McDonald, Judy Moody
30. to keep reminding someone of (something unpleasant)
I know I looked silly. Don't rub it in.
31. to come off a surface and often stick to another surface by rubbing
The ink rubbed off on my fingers.
32. to cause to be angry irritate
33. the act of rubbing
a back rub
34. something that causes a problem
35. a sound heard in auscultation that is produced by the friction of one structure moving against another