Definition

The action of moving something back and forth against a surface, often to create a mark or clean it.

Example

She was rubbing the surface of the table to make it shine.

Conversation

I found this cool technique for making art with rubbing paper over textures.

That sounds interesting! How does it work?

You just place the paper over a textured surface and then do a rubbing with a crayon or pencil.

I have to try that! It could make some unique designs.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Rubbing → It is formed from "rub" (from Old French *ruber*, meaning to rub or scrape) and "-ing" (a suffix used to indicate the action or process). The word "rubbing" refers to the action or process of applying friction to a surface.

Memory Tip

Think of the action of 'scraping' or 'rubbing' something to create movement or friction — that's what 'rubbing' means.

Visually Confused Words