v., rubbed, rub·bing, rubs.

v.tr.

1. To apply pressure and friction to (a surface).
2. To clean, polish, or manipulate by the application of pressure and friction.
3. To apply to a surface firmly and with friction: rub lotion on the hands; rub dye into the fabric.
4. To move (an object or objects) firmly along a surface, especially repeatedly: rub an eraser over the blackboard; rubbed my fingers over the sore spot.
5. To cause to become worn, chafed, or irritated.
6. To remove, erase, or expunge: rub away a stain; rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

v.intr.

1. 1. To exert pressure or friction on something.
   2. To wear or chafe with friction: My shoes were beginning to rub.
   3. To cause irritation or annoyance.
2. To move along in contact with a surface; graze or scrape.
3. To be transferred or removed by contact or proximity: newsprint that rubbed off on my fingers; wished some of her luck would rub off on me.

n.

1. The act of rubbing.
2. The application of friction and pressure: a back rub.
3. A substance or preparation applied by rubbing, especially:
   1. A liniment or balm.
   2. A seasoning made of ground spices and herbs, applied to the surface of meat, fish, or vegetables before cooking.
4. An unevenness on a surface.
5. An act or remark that annoys or hurts another.
6. A difficulty or obstacle: “The rub for extraterrestrial life on Europa is that the moon's surface is an icy wasteland” (William J. Broad).

phrasal verbs:

rub down

1. To perform a brisk rubbing of the body, as in massage.

rub in

1. To harp on (an unpleasant matter).

rub out

1. To obliterate by or as if by rubbing.
2. Slang. To kill; murder.

idioms:

rub elbows (or shoulders)

1. To mix or socialize closely: diplomats rubbing elbows with heads of state.

rub (one's) hands

1. To experience or display pleased anticipation, self-satisfaction, or glee.

rub (someone's) nose in Slang.

1. To bring repeatedly and forcefully to another's attention.

rub (someone) the wrong way

1. To annoy; irritate: “One can see . . . how [his] expression of his ideals and intentions must have rubbed many people the wrong way” (Christopher Lehmann-Haupt).

rub up on

1. To refresh one's knowledge of: I have to rub up on my French.

[Middle English rubben.]

In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the Russian ruble.

Investopedia Says:
The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US$1 trillion.

also rub out

verb

To remove or invalidate by or as if by running a line through or wiping clean. annul, blot (out), cancel, cross (off or out), delete, efface, erase, expunge, obliterate, scratch (out), strike (out), undo, wipe (out), x (out). Law vacate. See continue/stop/pause.

phrasal verb - rub out

1. To destroy all traces of: abolish, annihilate, blot out, clear, eradicate, erase, exterminate, extinguish, extirpate, kill¹, liquidate, obliterate, remove, root¹ (out or up), snuff out, stamp out, uproot, wipe out. Idioms: do away with, make an end of, put an end to. See help/harm/harmless, make/unmake.
2. To take the life of (a person or persons) unlawfully: destroy, finish (off), kill¹, liquidate, murder, slay. Informal put away. Slang bump off, do in, knock off, off, waste, wipe out, zap. See help/harm/harmless.

noun

A tricky or unsuspected condition: snag. Informal catch. See limited/unlimited.

Idioms beginning with rub:
rubbish
rubber check
rubber stamp
rub down
rub elbows with
rub in
rub off on
rub one's hands
rub someone's nose in it
rub the wrong way
rub up on

See also the rub.

---

n

Definition: difficulty, problem
Antonyms: blessing, boon, solution

---

Friction rub, an auscultatory sound caused by the rubbing together of two serous surfaces.

• pericardial r. — a scraping or grating noise heard with the heartbeat, usually a to-and-fro sound, associated with an inflamed pericardium.
• pleural r., pleuritic r. — a rub produced by friction between the visceral and costal pleurae.

IN BRIEF: To apply pressure to with a back and forth motion; stroke. Also: To spread or erase using pressure.

It is good to rub and polish your mind against the minds of others. — Michel Montaigne (1533-1592)

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - gnide, gnubbe, massere, tørre, frottere, påsmøre, gnave
v. intr. - skure mod, gnide mod, blive slidt
n. - gniden, gnubben, vanskelighed, ujævnhed

idioms:

• rub along    klare sig
• rub down    polere, strigle, frottere
• rub elbows with    omgås, gnide sig op ad
• rub it in    træde i det
• rub off on    smitte af på
• rub out    viske ud, gøre det af med
• rub shoulders with    omgås, gnide sig op ad
• rub someone up the wrong way    stryge en mod hårene, irritere
• the rub is    problemet er, at, det væsentlige er, at
• there's the rub    der er problemet

Nederlands (Dutch)
insmeren, wrijven, probleem

Français (French)
v. tr. - frotter, frictionner, (Culin) incorporer qch à, faire pénétrer, blesser, frotter contre
v. intr. - frotter, blesser, faire mal
n. - friction, coup de chiffon, baume pour les muscles, hic, inconvénient (arch)

idioms:

• rub along    s'entendre assez bien avec
• rub down    frictionner, se frictionner, bouchonner (un cheval), poncer
• rub elbows with    côtoyer, coudoyer
• rub in    (Culin) incorporer, faire pénétrer, (fig) en rajouter
• rub it in    (fig) en rajouter, insister, rebattre les oreilles avec
• rub off    déteindre, s'effacer, effacer, faire disparaître
• rub off on    (lit, fig) déteindre sur
• rub shoulders with    côtoyer qn
• rub someone out    (US) tuer/éliminer qn (fam)
• rub someone up the wrong way    caresser qn à rebrousse-poil
• rub something out    effacer qch, gommer qch
• rub up    frotter
• the rub is    le hic est
• there's the rub    c'est là la difficulté

Deutsch (German)
v. - reiben, schleifen
n. - Reiben, Hindernis

idioms:

• rub along    miteinander auskommen
• rub down    abreiben, abschleifen
• rub elbows with    Tuchfühlung mit jmdm. haben
• rub in    einreiben
• rub it in    es jmdm. ständig unter die Nase reiben
• rub off    wegreiben, wegwischen, (fig) abfärben (auf) (+Akk)
• rub off on    abfärben
• rub shoulders with    Tuchfühlung mit jmdm. haben
• rub someone out    ausradieren, (sich) ausreiben (lassen)
• rub someone up the wrong way    jmdm. auf den Schlips treten
• rub something out    herausreiben
• rub up    aufpolieren, Kenntnisse auffrischen
• the rub is    der Haken ist
• there's the rub    da liegt der Haken

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - τρίβω/-ομαι, επαλείφω, στεγνώνω, σκουπίζω
n. - τρίψιμο, τριβή, μάλαξη, σφουγγάρισμα, (μτφ.) κόμπος, δυσκολία

idioms:

• rub along    τα βγάζω πέρα, τα κουτσοκαταφέρνω
• rub down    μαλάσσω, τρίβω, λειαίνω με τρίψιμο, στεγνώνω με τρίψιμο
• rub elbows with    (ΗΠΑ, καθομ.) συγχρωτίζομαι/συμφύρομαι με
• rub it in    υπενθυμίζω χαιρέκακα ή δηκτικά, το χτυπάω
• rub off on    έχω αντίκτυπο σε, παίρνω σβάρνα και τον
• rub out    σβήνω, (καθομ.) σκοτώνω, καθαρίζω
• rub shoulders with    συγχρωτίζομαι με, συμφύρομαι με
• rub someone up the wrong way    μπαίνω στο ρουθούνι κάποιου
• the rub is    η δυσκολία είναι
• there's the rub    εδώ είναι ο κόμπος

Italiano (Italian)
spalmare

idioms:

• rub along    arrangiarsi
• rub down    smerigliare, massaggiare
• rub elbows with    entrare in confidenza con
• rub it in    ricordare
• rub off on    trasmettere
• rub out    cancellare
• rub someone up the wrong way    prendere per il verso sbagliato
• the rub is    il problema é
• there's the rub    questo é il problema

Português (Portuguese)
v. - esfregar
n. - atrito (m), aspereza (f)

idioms:

• rub along    ir vivendo
• rub down    polir
• rub elbows with    conviver com
• rub it in    insistir em, enfatizar
• rub off on    limpar esfregando, dissipar
• rub out    raspar, apagar
• rub someone up the wrong way    ofender
• the rub is    dificuldade
• there's the rub    aí é que está a dificuldade

Русский (Russian)
тереть, загвоздка

idioms:

• rub along    ладить
• rub down    массажировать, растирать
• rub elbows with    общаться с (сильными мира сего)
• rub it in    тыкать носом
• rub off on    отпечататься на, передаваться
• rub out    оттирать
• rub someone up the wrong way    гладить против шерсти
• the rub is    загвоздка в том, что
• there's the rub    вот в том-то и загвоздка!

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - frotar, friccionar, limpiar, lustrar
v. intr. - rozar, penetrar con fricción o dificultad
n. - restregón, friega, frote, fricción, roce

idioms:

• rub along    ir tirando, ganar lo suficiente para vivir
• rub down    almohazar, desgastar restregando, lijar
• rub elbows with    codearse con
• rub in    hacer penetrar por los poros mediante frotación
• rub it in    restregarle algo por la nariz a alguien, hacer penetrar algo frotando
• rub off    pegársele a uno, transmitírsele a uno, desgastarse, desvanecer
• rub off on    pegársele a uno, transmitírsele a uno
• rub shoulders with    codearse con
• rub someone out    matar a alguien
• rub someone up the wrong way    irritar, molestar, coger a contrapelo
• rub something out    remover algo mediante frotación
• rub up    pulir, renovar, refrescar
• the rub is    el problema es que
• there's the rub    ahí está el problema, ésa es la dificultad

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - gnugga, skava, polera
n. - gnidning, frottering, ojämnhet, gliring

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
擦, 摩擦, 搓, 擦破, 障碍, 困难

idioms:

• rub along    勉强相处
• rub down    按摩, 使磨损, 彻底梳刷
• rub elbows with    与...交往
• rub it in    触人痛处
• rub off on    传染给..., 因摩擦而沾...上
• rub out    擦掉
• rub shoulders with    与...有来往
• rub someone up the wrong way    激怒某人, 触犯惹怒某人
• the rub is    困难, 障碍
• there's the rub    难就难在这儿

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 擦, 摩擦, 搓
v. intr. - 摩擦, 擦破
n. - 摩擦, 障礙, 困難

idioms:

• rub along    勉強相處
• rub down    按摩, 使磨損, 徹底梳刷
• rub elbows with    與...交往
• rub it in    觸人痛處
• rub off on    傳染給..., 因摩擦而沾...上
• rub out    擦掉
• rub shoulders with    與...有來往
• rub someone up the wrong way    激怒某人, 觸犯惹怒某人
• the rub is    困難, 障礙
• there's the rub    難就難在這兒

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 마찰하다, 닦다, 새롭게 하다
v. intr. - 스치다, 애써 나아가다, 마찰하다
n. - 문지르기, 마찰, 방해

idioms:

• rub along    애써 나아가다, 그럭저럭 해 나가다, 잘해 나가다
• rub down    마찰하다, 문질러 닦다, 솔질하다
• rub elbows with    ~와 팔꿈치를 서로 맞대다, ~와 어울리다
• rub it in    되풀이하여 말하다, 상기시키다
• rub off on    영향을 끼치다
• rub out    문질러 지우다, 문질러 떼다, 완전히 파괴하다
• rub shoulders with    어깨를 서로 맞대다, ~와 어울리다
• the rub is    문제는~이다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - こする, 摩擦する, 磨く, すり込む, すりむく, こすり取る, こすり落とす, 擦り込む
n. - こすること, 困難

idioms:

• rub along    骨折って進む, 仲よく過ごす
• rub down    上から下へ摩擦する, マッサージする, 磨く
• rub elbows with    と交際する
• rub it in    嫌みを繰り返す
• rub off on    影響を与える
• rub one's nose in    人に経験させる
• rub out    すり消す, 完全に破壊する
• rub shoulders with    と交際する
• rub someone up the wrong way    神経を逆なでする, 怒らせる
• the rub is    問題は
• there's the rub    そこが問題だ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يفرك, يحك, يغضب, يثير (الاسم) فرك, حك, صقل, صعوبه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮שפשף, חכך, מרח, משח, ליטש‬
v. intr. - ‮השתפשף, התחכך, מרח, משח‬
n. - ‮שפשוף, חיכוך, מריחה, סיכה, עיסוי‬

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rub 12906	rub 15601