gerund and present participle
It means moving your hand, a cloth, or another object back and forth over a surface.
I am rubbing the table with a cloth.
Rubbing her hands together kept them warm.
American English
How to pronounce rubbing
verb · nounB1Common word
RUHbihng
/ˈɹə.bɪŋ/
2 syllables · Stress the first syllable.
Form of rub
Rubbing can describe an action in progress and can also name the action itself.
It means moving your hand, a cloth, or another object back and forth over a surface.
Practice out loudMeanings & examples
gerund and present participle
It means moving against something while pressing on it, often causing pain or damage.
These shoes are rubbing against my heels.
The tight bandage is rubbing my skin.
gerund and present participle
It means spreading a substance over a surface or into it by pressing and moving your hand.
She is rubbing lotion into her skin.
Rubbing salt into the meat before cooking makes it more flavorful.
derived noun
It is the action of moving something back and forth against a surface.
The constant rubbing of the rope damaged the wood.
The rubbing of the cloth left a shiny mark on the glass.
Useful expressions
to influence someone through regular contact
Her positive attitude rubbed off on me.
to keep reminding someone about a mistake or failure in a way that makes them feel worse
I know I lost, so don’t rub it in.
that is the problem or difficult part
We can leave today, but there’s the rub: the car is out of gas.
Related words & forms
The past and -ing forms double the final b: rubbed, rubbing.