[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/rubbing/)

[dictionaries](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [English](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/) / [R](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/r/) / rubbing

# rubbing

verb (present participle of rub: rub, rubs, rubbed, rubbing); noun (a rubbing, rubbings)

«rubbing» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Rubbing means moving your hand or something against a surface again and again, pressing on it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rubbing/#m1)
2. Rubbing out means removing pencil marks with a rubber or eraser. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rubbing/#m2)
3. A rubbing is a picture made by putting paper on a rough surface and rubbing it with a crayon (a bark rubbing, a coin rubbing). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rubbing/#m3)

### In the lessons

In science, rubbing creates friction, which makes heat (rub your hands to warm them) and can make static electricity (rub a balloon on your hair). In art lessons: leaf and bark rubbings. In health: rubbing your eyes can spread germs; rubbing on sun cream protects skin. Phrases: rubbing your hands, rubbing out, rubbing it in (reminding someone of a mistake).

### Examples

- I am rubbing my hands to keep them warm. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rubbing/#x1)
- She is rubbing out the wrong answer. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rubbing/#x2)
- Rubbing a balloon on your hair makes it stick to the wall. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rubbing/#x3)
- We made bark rubbings with crayons. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rubbing/#x4)
- Stop rubbing your eyes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rubbing/#x5)
- Rubbing two sticks together can make fire. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rubbing/#x6)
- The cat is rubbing against my legs. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rubbing/#x7)
- I know I lost, don't keep rubbing it in! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rubbing/#x8)
- Rubbing his hands together happily, he mumbled half to himself: [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rubbing/#x9)

### Note

Double b: rubbing. In British English a «rubber» is an eraser; in American English «rubber» can mean something else, so «eraser» is safer. Friction from rubbing always makes some heat.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «rubbing» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rubbing/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«rubbing» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/rubbing.html) on Mova free.