Antonyms for rub

Grammar : Noun, verb

Spell : ruhb

Phonetic Transcription : rʌb

Definition of rub

Origin : early 14c., transitive and intransitive, of uncertain origin, perhaps related to East Frisian rubben "to scratch, rub," and Low German rubbeling "rough, uneven," or similar words in Scandinavian (cf. Danish rubbe "to rub, scrub," Norwegian rubba), of uncertain origin. Related: Rubbed; rubbing.
To rub (someone) the wrong way is from 1853; probably the notion is of cats' fur. To rub noses in greeting as a sign of friendship (attested from 1822) formerly was common among Eskimos, Maoris, and some other Pacific Islanders. Rub out "obliterate" is from 1560s; underworld slang sense of "kill" is recorded from 1848, American English. Rub off "remove by rubbing" is from 1590s; meaning "have an influence" is recorded from 1959.

noun stroke, massage
noun difficulty, problem
verb stroke, massage

Example sentences :

Is it that it seems a strange and hideous dream, from which we will awake and rub our eyes?
Extract from : « Ballads of a Bohemian » by Robert W. Service

He ran and pulled some grass and proceeded to rub the Major down.
Extract from : « Weighed and Wanting » by George MacDonald

And this time the thing he wanted was to get the dervish to rub some of the salve on his other eye.
Extract from : « Tom Sawyer Abroad » by Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

Wash the meat in cold water, and then wipe it dry, and rub it with salt.
Extract from : « Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches » by Eliza Leslie

Reserve some of the stuffing to rub all over the outside of the meat.
Extract from : « Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches » by Eliza Leslie

Then take out the hams, rub them with bran and smoke them for a fortnight.
Extract from : « Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches » by Eliza Leslie

Put it on the spit, rub it with butter, and roast it before a brisk fire.
Extract from : « Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches » by Eliza Leslie

Another method is to scald them, and then to rub off the outer skin.
Extract from : « Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches » by Eliza Leslie

Gather them while the shells are very soft, and rub them all with a flannel.
Extract from : « Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches » by Eliza Leslie

Cut up one quarter into the flour, and rub it fine with your hands.
Extract from : « Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches » by Eliza Leslie

Synonyms for rub

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019