| Principal Translations |
| rub⇒ vi | (apply pressure with movement) | frotar⇒ vi |
| | | restregar⇒ vi |
| | I picked up the cloth and rubbed until the dirty mark came off my shoe. |
| | Tomé el trapo y froté hasta que la mancha salió de mi zapato. |
| rub on [sth] vi + prep | (shoes etc: hurt) | lastimar⇒ vtr |
| | | raspar⇒ vtr |
| | Helen's shoes were too tight and they rubbed on her feet. |
| | Los zapatos de Helen eran muy ajustados y la lastimaban. |
| rub [sth] on [sth] vtr + prep | (spread on surface) | poner⇒ vtr |
| | | aplicar⇒ vtr |
| | Jack rubbed some suntan lotion on his arms. |
| | Jack puso protector solar en sus brazos. |
| rub [sth]⇒ vtr | (spread with pressure) | frotar⇒ vtr |
| | | pasar⇒, aplicar⇒ vtr |
| | Rub some oil around the bowl, so the dough doesn't stick. |
| | Rub the lotion into your skin. |
| | Frota un poco de aceite en el bowl, para que la masa no se pegue. |
| rub [sth] into [sth] vtr + prep | (mix fat into dry ingredients) | mezclar⇒ vtr |
| | Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs, then add the water. |
| | Mezcla la mantequilla con la harina hasta que haya grumos y luego añade el agua. |
| rub [sth] vtr | (apply pressure with movement) | frotar⇒ vtr |
| | | restregar⇒ vtr |
| | | masajear⇒ vtr |
| | Nina rubbed her sore foot. |
| | Nina frotó sus pies doloridos. |
| rub [sth] vtr | (move with pressure) | pasar⇒ vtr |
| | | frotar⇒ vtr |
| | | masajear⇒ vtr |
| | George rubbed his hand along the cat's back. |
| | George pasó su mano por el lomo del gato. |
| rub [sth] vtr | (shoes, etc.: hurt) | raspar⇒ vtr |
| | | rozar⇒ vtr |
| | Alison's shoes are rubbing her feet. |
| | Los zapatos de Alison raspan sus pies. |
| rub⇒ vi | (shoes, etc.: hurt skin) | raspar⇒ vi |
| | | rozar⇒ vtr |
| | Alison's new shoes are rubbing. |
| | Los nuevos zapatos de Alison raspan. |
| Additional Translations |
| the rub n | literary (problem, catch) | problema nm |
| | | tema nm |
| | You want me to leave my wife, but, you see, I love her; there's the rub. |
| | Quieres que deje a mi esposa, pero ya ves, la amo. Ese es el problema. |
| rub n | (scrub with cloth) (fregando) | masaje nm |
| | | frote nm |
| | A rub with a flannel soon cleaned the mud off Tom's face. |
| | Un masaje con un trapo limpió el barro del rostro de Tom. |
| rub n | (massage) | masaje nm |
| | I think a rub is the only thing that will relieve the stiffness in my back. |
| | Creo que un masaje es lo único que aliviará la tensión en mi espalda. |
| rub n | (cookery: spice mix) | condimento nm |
| | Paprika and cayenne mixed together make a tasty rub for chicken. |
| | El pimentón y la cayena juntas forman un delicioso condimento para el pollo. |
Locuciones verbales
rub | rubbing |
| rub along vi phrasal | UK, informal, figurative (get on well) | llevarse bien con alguien loc verb |
| rub along with [sb] vi phrasal + prep | UK, informal, figurative (get on well with) | llevarse bien loc verb |
| | | entenderse bien loc verb |
| | The two men come from two different cultures, but they rub along with each other. |
| | Vienen de culturas diferentes, pero se llevan bien. |
| | Vienen de culturas diferentes, pero se entienden bien. |
| rub [sth] down vtr phrasal sep | (horse: clean away sweat, dust) | almohazar⇒ vtr |
| rub [sth/sb] down vtr phrasal sep | (rub thoroughly) | fregar⇒ vtr |
| rub [sth] in vtr phrasal sep | (spread and cause to be absorbed) | frotar⇒ vtr |
| | Apply the ointment and rub it in. |
rub [sth] in,
rub in [sth] vtr phrasal sep | informal (remind of [sth] unpleasant) | traer a colación loc verb |
| | (informal) | refregar⇒ vtr |
| | My colleagues kept rubbing in the fact that I'd made a huge mistake. |
| | Mi colega seguía trayendo a colación el enorme error que yo había cometido. |
| rub off vi phrasal | figurative (be transmitted) | contagiarse⇒ v prnl |
| | | pegarse⇒ v prnl |
| | Johnny's enthusiasm for fishing began to rub off, and the other children wanted fishing poles too. |
| | El entusiasmo de Johnny por la pesca empezó a contagiarse y los otros niños también querían cañas de pescar. |
| rub off on [sb] vi phrasal + prep | figurative (be transmitted to [sb] else) | contagiársele a alguien vi + prep |
| | | pegársele a alguien vi + prep |
| | Dad's bad mood rubbed off on the rest of us, and by the end of the day we were all arguing. |
| | El mal humor de papá se nos contagió a todos y, para el final del día, estábamos todos discutiendo. |
| rub off vi phrasal | (be wiped off deliberately) | borrarse⇒ v prnl |
| | These crayons rub off without leaving a mess. |
| rub off vi phrasal | (be wiped off accidentally) | salirse⇒ v prnl |
| | | borrarse⇒ v prnl |
| | | embarrarse⇒ v prnl |
| | This lipstick is a nice colour but it rubs off easily. |
| | Este lápiz labial es de buen color pero se sale fácil. |
| rub off on [sth/sb] vi phrasal + prep | (be smeared onto [sth] else) (sustancia seca) | caer sobre vi + prep |
| | (sustancia húmeda o grasa) | embarrarse⇒ v prnl |
| | The dirt from his clothes rubbed off on the furniture. |
| | La suciedad de su ropa cayó sobre los muebles. |
| rub [sth] out vtr phrasal sep | (erase) | borrar⇒ vtr |
| | If you write in pencil, it's easier to rub out your mistakes. |
| | Si escribes en lápiz, será más fácil borrar los errores. |
| rub [sb] out vtr phrasal sep | slang, figurative (kill) | limpiar a alguien loc verb |
| | It's said he was rubbed out by the mob for stealing money from the casino. |
| | Dicen que lo limpió la mafia por robar dinero del casino. |
rub [sth] up,
rub up [sth] vtr phrasal sep | mainly UK, dated, rare (refresh memory, revise [sth]) | revisar⇒ vtr |
| | | repasar⇒ vtr |
| | Charles decided to rub up his dance steps before the ball. |