Word.ws English Dictionary

rubs down

rubs down is the third-person singular simple present indicative of rub down.

Meaning of rub down

Verb

rub down (third-person singular simple present rubs down, present participle rubbing down, simple past and past participle rubbed down)

  1. (idiomatic, transitive) To rub from top to bottom, e.g. for cleaning, stripping paint or massage.
    • We were taken to a light airy stable, and placed in boxes adjoining each other, where we were rubbed down and fed.[1877], Anna Sewell, “Earlshall”, in Black Beauty: […], London: Jarrold and Sons, […], →OCLC, part II, page 101
  2. (dated, transitive) To frisk (search by feeling the body and clothing).
    • […] "jumped him", as it were, and immediately "rubbed him down" with the view of getting possession of his weapon.1931, Hargrave Lee Adam, C.I.D. Behind the Scenes at Scotland Yard, page 221
  3. (transitive) To grind, wear down, or wear away by rubbing.
    Synonyms:
    rub away

Questions about rubs down

What is rubs down the third-person singular simple present indicative of?
Rubs down is the third-person singular simple present indicative of rub down.

Words near rubs down in the dictionary

  1. rubrozem
  2. rubrozems
  3. rubs
  4. rubs along
  5. rubs away
  6. rubs down
  7. rubs elbows
  8. rubs in
  9. rubs it in
  10. rubs of the green
  11. rubs off

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: rubs down (page history and authors); rub down (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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