rubbed

VERB

stroke, massage

Synonyms

STRONGEST

apply brush caress clean coat cover glaze graze grind knead paint pat scrape scrub slather smear smooth spread wear wipe

STRONG

abrade anoint bark buff burnish chafe curry daub erase erode excoriate file fray fret furbish glance gloss grate mop plaster polish put rasp scour shine swab

WEAK

triturate wear down

Antonyms

STRONGEST

dirty reveal strip uncover

STRONG

dull make happy please

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

rubbed

But the plans have rubbed some the wrong way.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

Towel drying and sweat may have rubbed it off.

From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026

This technique, sometimes called blind ruling, had another advantage: the ink could be rubbed out and the parchment reused.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026

The other night, I rubbed chicken with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a generous layer of zest before roasting it as the base for a stew.

From Salon ● Apr. 21, 2026

I rubbed the dust from her coat with my handkerchief.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls