verb

rub

Translation

to rub, to massage, to apply

She began to rub her eyes.

She started to rub her eyes.

He rubbed cream on his hands.

He rubbed lotion on his hands.

His comments rubbed me up the wrong way.

His comments really annoyed me.

((sth.)) to move one's hand or a cloth over a surface She began to rub her eyes.

((sth.)) ((on/onto/into sth.)) to apply a substance by rubbing He rubbed cream on his hands.

((sb.)) ((up the wrong way)) to annoy someone His comments rubbed me up the wrong way.

Synonyms: scrub, scour, massage, stroke

Derived from Middle English 'rubben'. Its ultimate origin is uncertain.

Imagine rubbing your hands together to warm them up on a cold day. This physical action is the key to the word's meaning.