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Glite Dictionary
to rub elbows

to rub elbows

8 5.8
To meet and talk with important people at social events
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : codearse
  • During the conference, many attendees will rub elbows and exchange ideas with experts in their fields.

I I saw him on the Today show and you're always rubbing elbows with these A listers and you saw me and you just knew I wasn't doing the right thing.

Examples

  • Great artists, writers, society folk, all rubbing elbows with Hollywood royalty.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • You'll be able to rub elbows with the best minds in the industry.

    Blog text (12)

  • At the conference, they were able to rub elbows with social entrepreneurs.

    Blog text (26)

  • Prospective students and parents also get the chance to rub elbows with faculty from each school.

    Blog text (10)

  • While there, he rubs elbows with some of the most famous luthiers in the world.

    Blog text (14)

  • Join the board of a nonprofit organization and rub elbows with other high-powered corporate professionals.

    Blog text (14)

  • Magers, co-founder of Idaho Steelhead & Salmon Unlimited, has been rubbing elbows with experts on steelhead biology, politics, and fishing for decades.

    Blog text (2)

  • At the gala, the young entrepreneur hopes to rub elbows with industry leaders.

  • She enjoys attending networking events where she can rub elbows with influential professionals.

Synonyms

to mingle
vsto rub elbows
64 3.1

Join and talk with other people at a meeting or party

implies closer social or professional association than mere participation
to fraternize
vsto rub elbows
20 7.7

To be friendly and spend time with people you should avoid, for example enemies

adds the idea of forbidden or inappropriate association not shared by the other term
to schmooze
vsto rub elbows
  • Informal
9 8.6

To talk in a friendly way to make people like you and get an advantage

is about mingling closely rather than only talking to gain advantage
to hobnob with
vsto rub elbows
8 8.0

To spend time talking with important or powerful people

focuses more on casual close association across social and work situations
to rub shoulders
vsto rub elbows
7 4.6

Mix socially with important or famous people

is the general term for close mixing in social and professional settings
to hobnob
vsto rub elbows
5 7.9

To spend time talking with important or famous people

covers the same mixing but applies across many social or professional contexts
to chum up
vsto rub elbows
  • UK
1 7.7

To make friends with someone by talking and being kind

suggests casual friendship rather than focused social or professional mingling
to schmoose
vsto rub elbows
  • Informal
9.5

To talk in a friendly, casual way to make contacts

is broader, covering close social mixing beyond just casual chatting

Antonyms

to avoid
∞ 1.0

To stay away from something or not do it to stop something bad from happening

to isolate
256 4.2

To keep someone or something apart from others

How Close

to befriend
61 3.0
to hobnob
5 7.9
to rub elbows
  • Informal
8 5.8
to mingle
64 3.1
to socialize
  • US
68 2.8
to meet
∞ 1.0
to greet
248 1.0

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

rub + elbows

The phrase literally evokes physically rubbing one's elbows, which transparently signals close physical proximity; this physical image can be plausibly extended to social mingling or associating with people. However, the shift from a literal bodily action to the social meaning is a conventionalized metaphorical extension rather than a strictly compositional reading, so a B1 learner might infer the general idea but not reliably without some exposure.

Etymology

Rub elbows comes from the image of people standing so close that their elbows touch and gently rub each other. That small physical contact became a picture for meeting and spending time with people, so today it means 'to meet and mingle closely with others', often at social or professional events.