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Antonyms for rubbing

Grammar : Verb
Spell : ruhb-ing
Phonetic Transcription : ˈrʌb ɪŋ

Definition of rubbing

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.
  • verb stroke, massage
Example sentences :
  • I often saw him chuckling and rubbing his hands as if in approbation.
  • Extract from : « The Bacillus of Beauty » by Harriet Stark
  • They made fire by the rubbing of sticks, shot poisoned arrows at game.
  • Extract from : « The Leopard Woman » by Stewart Edward White
  • Her husband had been taking a nap in the sitting-room, and he came out, rubbing his eyes.
  • Extract from : « Meadow Grass » by Alice Brown
  • He can defend himself pretty well, said Bell, rubbing his face.
  • Extract from : « The Field of Ice » by Jules Verne
  • Newman left off rubbing his hands, and assumed a thoughtful look.
  • Extract from : « The Life And Adventures Of Nicholas Nickleby » by Charles Dickens
  • The Angel explained how they must be used for rubbing the blind father's eyes.
  • Extract from : « My Double Life » by Sarah Bernhardt
  • Our boy remained with the colt, drying it and rubbing it down as well as he could.
  • Extract from : « My Double Life » by Sarah Bernhardt
  • Adams groaned, and, rubbing his head, began to pace the floor.
  • Extract from : « Alice Adams » by Booth Tarkington
  • He stepped back and confronted the cabman, who was rubbing his eyes.
  • Extract from : « The Avenger » by E. Phillips Oppenheim
  • "It's silly of me to behave like this," he murmured to himself, rubbing his eyes with his hand.
  • Extract from : « Changing Winds » by St. John G. Ervine

Synonyms for rubbing

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