rub · verb T /rʌb/
rub
B2 to press your hand or a cloth on a surface and move it backward and forward
Dictionary examples:
She rubbed her hands together to warm them.
He rubbed himself dry with a towel.
Rub the stain with a damp cloth.
Learner example:
Paul suddenly saw something. A kind of shadow. He rubbed his eyes but there was nothing. (First Certificate in English; B2; Chinese)
rub sth into/on, etc.
B2 to move a substance backward and forward over a surface so that it covers it and goes into it
Dictionary examples:
I rubbed some suntan oil on my arms.
If you rub linseed oil into the wood, it will protect it.
rub it in
C2 to upset someone by talking to them about something which you know they want to forget
Dictionary example:
I know your grades were better than mine - you don't have to rub it in.
Learner example:
Indeed, I wouldn't [want] to rub it in but you have reached seventy or eighty. I don't think you can fend for yourself. (Certificate of Proficiency in English; C2; French)
