rub

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈrʌb/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/rʌb/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(rub)

Inflections of 'rub' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
rubs
v 3rd person singular
rubbing
v pres p
rubbed
v past
rubbed
v past p
  • WordReference
  • Collins
  • WR Reverse (34)
  • Definition
  • Synonyms
  • English Collocations

WordReference English-Spanish Dictionary © 2025:

Principal Translations
InglésEspañol
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.
  Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement.
Additional Translations
InglésEspañol
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.
  Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement.

WordReference English-Spanish Dictionary © 2025:

Locuciones verbales
InglésEspañol
rub along vi phrasal UK, informal, figurative (get on well)llevarse bien con alguien loc verb
  (ES)tener buen rollo con loc verb
  ser tal para cual loc verb
 Son tal para cual, afines en casi todo y complementarios en lo demás.
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.
  (AR, coloquial)hacer boleta a alguien loc verb
 Dicen que la mafia lo hizo boleta 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.
  Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement.

WordReference English-Spanish Dictionary © 2025:

Compound Forms:
InglésEspañol
back rub n (massage)masaje nm
rub [sth] away,
rub away [sth]
vtr + adv
(erase by rubbing)borrar vtr
  remover, quitar vtr
rub [sb/sth] down with [sth] v expr (rub thoroughly with [sth])masajear vtr
Note: Ante complemento directo de persona debe usarse la preposición «a».
rub it in v expr figurative, informal (emphasize an insult, embarrassment, etc.) (figurado, coloquial)refregar vtr
  recordar vtr
 I wanted to forget the whole incident, but my dad kept rubbing it in.
 Yo quería olvidar todo el asunto pero mi padre seguía refregándomelo.
rub [sth] off,
rub off [sth]
vtr + adv
(remove, wipe away)limpiar vtr
  restregar, refregar vtr
 The teacher took the board rubber and rubbed off what she had written.
 La profesora tomó el borrador y limpió lo que había escrito.
rub [sth] off [sth/sb] vtr + prep (remove by wiping) (frotando)limpiar vtr
  sacar vtr
  quitar vtr
 He rubbed the specks of mud off his shoe.
 Limpió las manchas de barro de sus zapatos.
rub shoulders with [sb],
rub elbows with [sb]
v expr
informal, figurative (socialize with [sb])codearse con alguien v prnl + prep
 She likes to rub shoulders with important people.
 Le encanta codearse con gente importante.
rub [sb] the wrong way,
rub [sb] up the wrong way
v expr
figurative, informal (irritate)hacer enojar a loc verb + prep
  molestar a, irritar a, enfadar a vtr + prep
  caerle mal a loc verb + prep
 My colleague's habit of whistling as he works rubs me up the wrong way.
rub-up n mainly UK, informal (polishing)lustrada nf
 That brass could do with a rub-up.
 Ese bronce necesita una lustrada.
rub-up n mainly UK, dated, rare (review)revisión nf
  repaso nm
  (figurado)refrescada nf
 My Italian could do with a rub-up before I go to Rome next month.
 Mi italiano necesita una revisión antes de ir a Roma el mes que viene.
rub [sb]'s nose in [sth] v expr figurative, informal (tease someone persistently about) (coloquial, figurado)restregar en la cara expr
rub-a-dub n (sound of drums)ran rataplán onomat
rubdown (US),
rub-down (UK)
n
(body massage)masaje nm
rubdown (US),
rub-down (UK)
n
(act of buffing or cleaning)pulido nm
  limpieza nf
  Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement.

'rub' aparece también en las siguientes entradas:
In the English description:
Spanish:

Collocations: rub your [eyes, arms, back], rub [lotion, cream, gel] on your [hands, skin], rub out the [answers, comments, markings], more...

Forum discussions with the word(s) "rub" in the title:

  • Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks.
See Google Translate's machine translation of 'rub'.

In other languages: French | Italian | Portuguese | Romanian | German | Dutch | Swedish | Russian | Polish | Czech | Greek | Turkish | Chinese | Japanese | Korean | Arabic

Advertisements
Advertisements
Infórmanos de los anuncios inapropiados.
WordReference.com
WORD OF THE DAY
GET THE DAILY EMAIL!