| / English Dictionary |
RUBBING
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Effort expended in moving one object over another with pressure
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("rubbing" is a kind of...):
effort; elbow grease; exertion; sweat; travail (use of physical or mental energy; hard work)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "rubbing"):
attrition (the act of rubbing together; wearing something down by friction)
Derivation:
rub (move over something with pressure)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Representation consisting of a copy (as of an engraving) made by laying paper over something and rubbing it with charcoal
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("rubbing" is a kind of...):
representation (a creation that is a visual or tangible rendering of someone or something)
Sense 3
Meaning:
The resistance encountered when one body is moved in contact with another
Synonyms:
friction; rubbing
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural phenomena
Hypernyms ("rubbing" is a kind of...):
resistance (any mechanical force that tends to retard or oppose motion)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "rubbing"):
abrasion; attrition; detrition; grinding (the wearing down of rock particles by friction due to water or wind or ice)
adhesive friction; grip; traction (the friction between a body and the surface on which it moves (as between an automobile tire and the road))
Derivation:
rub (cause friction)
II. (verb)
Sense 1
-ing form of the verb rub
Context examples:
They have called this mechanism ‘anther rubbing’.
(Some plants are capable of ‘rubbing’ themselves for hours in order to achieve self fertilization, University of Granada)
"Exactly so!" declared the little man, rubbing his hands together as if it pleased him. "I am a humbug."
(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)
The images show both of Jupiter's poles are covered in Earth-sized swirling storms that are densely clustered and rubbing together.
(First Science Results from NASA’s Juno Mission, NASA)
One suggestion included the back-and-forth rubbing of opposing walls of the fractures generating frictional heat that turned ice into geyser-forming vapor and liquid.
(101 Geysers on Icy Saturn Moon, NASA)
Finally he sprang from his chair with a cry of satisfaction, and walked up and down the room rubbing his hands together.
(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
"You poor devil," he said gently, rubbing White Fang's ears and tapping his spine.
(White Fang, by Jack London)
But I don't see what you can do, except get a carriage, or stay here all night, answered Jo, softly rubbing the poor ankle as she spoke.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
Sherlock Holmes was rubbing his hands and chuckling as he added this bizarre incident to his collection of strange episodes.
(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
And at that, up I jumped, and rubbing my eyes, ran to a loophole in the wall.
(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
We accordingly brought him back to the deck and restored him to animation by rubbing him with brandy and forcing him to swallow a small quantity.
(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)
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