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Meaning & use

rubbed

verb·Everyday

Last updated

UK/rʌbd/
US/rʌbd/

“rubbed” is a form of “rub”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.

Meanings

  1. verbtransitive or intransitive

    Pressed and moved a hand or object back and forth against a surface, often to clean it or to warm or soothe it.

    Grammar: Usually takes an object: she rubbed her hands; with against or on when no object follows.

    Patterns

    • rubbed something
    • rubbed against something

    She rubbed her eyes and yawned.

    He rubbed the table with a damp cloth.

    The cat rubbed against my legs.

  2. verbtransitive

    Spread a substance over a surface by working it in with the hand.

    Grammar: Takes an object plus on or into: rubbed lotion into her skin.

    Patterns

    • rubbed something into something
    • rubbed something on something

    He rubbed sunscreen on his shoulders.

    She rubbed butter into the flour.

  3. verbtransitive or intransitive

    Caused discomfort or sore skin by pressing and moving against it repeatedly.

    Grammar: Often used about shoes or straps: the boots rubbed my heels.

    Patterns

    • rubbed against something

    The new shoes rubbed her heels raw.

    The strap rubbed against his neck all day.

Word forms

base formrub
third person singularrubs
past tenserubbed
-ing formrubbing

Common combinations

rubbed his hands
He rubbed his hands together to keep warm.
rubbed her eyes
She rubbed her eyes after the long drive.
rubbed it in
He rubbed it in after winning the game.
rubbed off on
Her good habits rubbed off on me.
rubbed out
He rubbed out the mistake with an eraser.
rubbed the wrong way
His tone rubbed me the wrong way.

Synonyms and how they differ

massaged
Massaged suggests rubbing muscles firmly to relieve tension, while rubbed is more general.
wiped
Wiped means cleaning a surface by dragging something over it, usually in one pass rather than repeated motion.
scrubbed
Scrubbed means rubbing hard with a brush or rough material, which is stronger than rubbed.

Word family

rub verb
The base form.
rubbing noun
A copy of a raised design made by rubbing paper with a pencil.
rubber noun
A stretchy material, originally used to rub out pencil marks.
rubdown noun
A brisk massage of the body.

Commonly confused: rubbed or robbed?

rubbed vs robbed

Robbed means stole from someone, while rubbed means pressed and moved against a surface; the vowel sounds differ.

Practice

She ___ lotion into her hands before bed.

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