Rub in Scrabble and Meaning

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3-letter words (4 found)

2-letter words (1 found)

You can make 5 words from rub according to the Scrabble US and Canada dictionary.

Definitions and meaning of rub

rub

English

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English rubben, of unknown origin; possibly ultimately from Proto-Germanic *rubbōną, related to *reufaną (“to tear”).

Cognate with Saterland Frisian rubje (“to rub, scrape”), German Low German rubben (“to rub”), Low German rubblig (“rough, uneven”), Dutch robben, rubben (“to rub smooth; scrape; scrub”), Danish rubbe (“to rub, scrub”), Icelandic and Norwegian rubba (“to scrape”). More at reave.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, US) IPA^(key): /ɹʌb/, enPR: rŭb
• (Northern England, Ireland) IPA^(key): /ɹʊb/
• Rhymes: -ʌb

Noun

rub (plural rubs)

1. An act of rubbing.

2. A difficulty or problem.
3. (archaic) A quip or sarcastic remark.
4. In the game of crown green bowls, any obstacle by which a bowl is diverted from its normal course.
5. Any substance designed to be applied by rubbing.
   1. A mixture of spices applied to meat before it is barbecued.
6. (UK, naval slang) A loan.

Synonyms

• (a difficulty or problem): hitch, hiccup, catch, kink, glitch, snag

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

rub (third-person singular simple present rubs, present participle rubbing, simple past and past participle rubbed)

1. (transitive) To move (one object) while maintaining contact with another object over some area, with pressure and friction.
2. (intransitive) To be rubbed against something.

3. (transitive) To spread a substance thinly over; to smear.
4. (dated) To move or pass with difficulty.

5. To scour; to burnish; to polish; to brighten; to cleanse; often with up or over.
6. To hinder; to cross; to thwart.
7. (transitive, bowls) To touch the jack with the bowl.

Derived terms

Translations

References

Further reading

• “rub”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “rub”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “rub”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “rub”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

• bru, bur, bur-

Czech

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *rǫbъ (“something which was cut”), from *rǫbati (“to cut, chop”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈrup]
• Rhymes: -up
• Homophone: rup

Noun

rub m inan

1. back (the reverse side)

   Antonym: líc

   rub karty ― back of the card

   rub mince ― reverse of the coin

2. the other (often negative) aspect of a situation

Declension

Derived terms

See also

• vzhůru nohama
• rubat

References

Further reading

• “rub”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “rub”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “rub”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2025

Lower Sorbian

Alternative forms

• rubaj

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [rup]

Verb

rub

1. second-person singular imperative of rubaś

Manx

Etymology

Borrowed from English rub.

Noun

rub m (genitive singular rub, plural rubbyn)

1. rub

Verb

rub (verbal noun rubbey or rubbal)

1. to rub

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *rǫbъ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /rûːb/

Noun

rȗb m (Cyrillic spelling ру̑б)

1. rim
2. edge, brink

Declension

Yola

Etymology

From Middle English ribbe, from Old English ribb, from Proto-West Germanic *ribi.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /rʊb/

Noun

rub (plural rubbès)

1. rib

References

• Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 65