Rub

Noun

 * 1) An act of rubbing.
 * Give that lamp a good rub and see if any genies come out
 * 1) A difficulty or problem.
 * Therein lies the rub.
 * 1) * Episode 16
 * ...the propriety of the cabman's shelter, as it was called, hardly a stonesthrow away near Butt bridge where they might hit upon some drinkables in the shape of a milk and soda or a mineral. But how to get there was the rub.
 * 1) In the game of crown green bowls: any obstacle by which a bowl is diverted from its normal course.

Verb

 * 1) To move one object while maintaining contact with another object over some area.
 * I rubbed the cloth over the glass.
 * The cat rubbed itself against my leg.
 * I rubbed my hands together for warmth.
 * 1) To rub something against.
 * I rubbed the glass with the cloth.
 * 1) To rub against something.
 * My shoes are beginning to rub.

Related terms

 * rubber
 * rubbing
 * rub in
 * rub it in
 * rub out
 * rub off

Adverbs for Rub
briskly; frantically; industriously; vigorously; mechanically; incessantly; injuriously; maddeningly; furiously; skillfully.

Thesaurus
Discordia, Eris, ablate, abrade, abrase, afflict, aggravate, agonize, ail, air-dry, anhydrate, annoy, apple of discord, attouchement, bake, bandage, bar, bark, bathe, bite, block, blockade, blot, bone of contention, bone to pick, bother, bottleneck, breath, brush, brush by, buff, burn, burnish, care for, caress, casus belli, catch, catch a likeness, chafe, character, characterize, chart, clash, clashing, climacteric, clutch, come in contact, conflict, confrication, contact, contention, contingence, convergence of events, convulse, cordon, crimp, crisis, critical juncture, critical point, crossroads, crow to pick, crow to pluck, crucial period, crucify, crunch, crux, cure, curtain, cut, cutaneous sense, dehumidify, dehydrate, delineate, depict, desiccate, determent, deterrent, diagnose, diagram, difficulty, disaccord, disaffinity, discord, discordance, discordancy, disharmony, distress, doctor, drain, draw, drawback, dry, emergency, enmity, erase, erode, evaporate, exasperate, excoriate, excruciate, exigency, exsiccate, extremity, feel, feel up, feeling, fester, file, fingertip caress, finish, fire, flick, flux, fondle, fray, frazzle, fret, frication, friction, frictionize, frottage, furbish, gall, give care to, give pain, glance, glaze, gloss, gnaw, gnaw away, grate, graze, grind, gripe, grounds for war, hamper, hand-mindedness, hang-up, harrow, hazard, heal, hinge, hit, hit off, hitch, hurdle, hurt, impediment, impinge, impingement, impingence, incompatibility, incompatibleness, inflame, inflict pain, inharmoniousness, inharmony, insolate, irk, irritate, jangle, jar, joker, kill by inches, kiln, kiss, knead, lacerate, lambency, lap, lick, light touch, limn, luster, map, martyr, martyrize, massage, minister to, mischief, mummify, nettle, nip, noncooperation, nose, notate, nudge, nurse, nuzzle, objection, obstacle, obstruction, obstructive, one small difficulty, open conflict, operate on, osculate, osculation, pain, paint, parch, pass, peeve, perfrication, pet, physic, picture, picturize, pierce, pinch, plaster, polish, portray, poultice, prick, print, prolong the agony, provoke, purge, push, put to torture, rack, rankle, rasp, raze, register, remedy, render, represent, rile, rub against, rub away, rub down, rub noses, rub off, rub out, rubbing, ruffle, schematize, scorch, scour, scrape, scrub, scuff, sear, sense of touch, shave, shine, shrivel, sideswipe, skim, skin, skirt, sleek, slick, slick down, smoke, snag, soak up, sore point, splint, sponge, squeak by, stab, sting, strained relations, strait, strap, stroke, stumbling block, stumbling stone, sun, sun-dry, swab, symbolize, tactile sense, taction, take a rubbing, tangency, tap, tender spot, tension, tentative contact, tentative poke, ticklish issue, torment, torrefy, torture, touch, touching, towel, trace, trace out, trace over, traverse, treat, turn, turning point, tweak, twist, unharmoniousness, unpleasantness, varnish, vex, wax, wear, wear away, weazen, whisper, wipe, wither, wizen, wound, wring, write

Etymology
From rubben:. Cognate with rubben:,  rubbeling:,  and  rubba:,  rubbe:.

Noun

 * Finnish: hankaus
 * Greek:
 * Portuguese: fricção
 * Turkish: ovma, ovalama

Verb

 * Albanian:
 * Arabic: حك
 * Catalan:
 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin:, ,
 * French:
 * Galician:
 * German:
 * Hungarian:
 * Italian: ,


 * Japanese: 擦る
 * Korean:
 * Latin:
 * Portuguese:
 * Romanian:
 * Romansch: sgrattar
 * Russian:,  потереть
 * Scottish Gaelic: slìog
 * Spanish:


 * Armenian:
 * Czech: třít
 * Danish: gnide (1,2); skave (3)
 * Dutch: wrijven (1)
 * Finnish: hangata
 * Ga: mmñra
 * German: reiben
 * Greek: (1)


 * Lao: (sii)
 * Latin:
 * Portuguese:
 * Serbian: trljati, ribati, očešati, trti, tare
 * Slovene: treti
 * Swedish: gnida, stryka (1), gnugga (2), skava (3)
 * Telugu: రుద్దు (ruddu)
 * Turkish: ovmak, ovalamak
 * Twi: twitwi

Anagrams

 * bur

Noun

 * 1) back (the reverse side)
 * rub karty -- back of the card
 * rub mince -- reverse of the coin

Related terms

 * naruby

Noun

 * 1) rim
 * 2) edge, brink

Etymology
From.