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Glite Dictionary
💆 To massage 🪵 To smooth
to rub down

to rub down

1 4.1
To clean or massage a person's body by moving something over it
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : masajear
  • It's common for athletes to rub down each other to help relieve tension before a big match.

You're just going to want to rub it down into your neck.

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Examples

  • - If you've got a cold, somebody's got to rub your chest down with Vicks.

    The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001)

  • Murmuring compliments, Daine rubbed her friend down.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Walk him around then rub him down, will you, son.

    Fort Apache (1948)

  • Take five, I'll come rub you down.

    I Love You, Man (2009)

  • Norm will come to your house, give you a good rub down, and that's pretty much it.

  • Back at my cabin, I shake off my coat, stamp my boots, and rub George down with a towel.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • As his mother rubbed him down with alcohol, she said, "Son, I don't want you to be a busboy all of your life."

    Academic text (1996)

  • "The Cod's wife gives him a bubble bath each Saturday and rubs him down with lavender water.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Fats is rubbing down Basil's shoulders, like a prizefighter before the bell rings.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • After the game, the coach told the players to stretch and then rub down their sore muscles.

Synonyms

to rub
vsto rub down
600 1.0

To move your hand over something with pressure to clean, warm, or ease an itch

is used for therapeutic or cleaning purposes aimed at relaxation or recovery
to massage
vsto rub down
59 3.3

To rub someone's muscles to relieve pain and tension

also covers cleaning or preparation rather than only therapeutic touch
to knead
vsto rub down
4 4.3

Press and rub a person's muscles with hands so they relax

is broader and includes body cleaning or preparation
to sponge down
vsto rub down
  • Informal
1 3.7

Clean a person or surface by rubbing with a wet cloth

focuses on cleaning with water rather than therapeutic or preparatory touch
to brush down
vsto rub down
2.7

To clean dust and dirt from something using quick movements

applies to body cleaning or recovery rather than surface brushing

Antonyms

to ignore
∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

neglect
100 3.5

Not caring for someone or something that needs care

How Vigorous

to massage
59 3.3
to knead
4 4.3
to rub down
1 4.1
to rub
600 1.0
to pat
110 1.0

Surface Forms

rub down infinitive
rubbed down past
rubbed down past participle
rubbing down present participle
rubs down third person singular

Morphology

rub + down

The sense 'to massage or clean by rubbing' is directly built from 'rub' (apply repeated pressure/motion) plus the particle 'down' which here signals thoroughness or direction along a surface; together they predict a meaning of rubbing something over/along its surface to clean or soothe. This verb+particle composition is a common, compositionally transparent pattern in English (and similar constructions exist in other languages), so a B1 learner who knows both words can reasonably infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Rub down shows someone rubbing a person or animal, moving the hand across the body to clean, warm, or relax the muscles, like a friend rubbing your legs after a run or brushing a horse. So, rub down means 'to massage' or 'clean' the body.