rub is on the Basic English 850 List.
round - rub - rule

Pronunciation

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Plain form
rub

Third-person singular
rubs

Past tense
rubbed

Past participle
rubbed

Present participle
rubbing

  1. (transitive & intransitive) If you rub something, you move against it, often backward and forward.
    The doctor was rubbing her hands to warm them.
    The dog came and rubbed against his leg.
    He rubbed the silver with a cloth until it shone.
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Singular
rub

Plural
rubs

  1. If you give somebody or something a rub, you rub them or massage them.
    After the game, he gave me a great shoulder rub.
    It'll come clean with a good rub.