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Glite Dictionary
rubber eraser

rubber eraser

1.0
A small block of rubber that removes pencil marks
  • noun
  • /ˈrʌbər ɪˈreɪsər/
  • US
translation icon : goma de borrar
  • She used a rubber eraser to clean up her pencil sketches before submitting her art project.

Examples

  • The teacher handed out a rubber eraser at the beginning of the exam for students to correct their answers.

  • I crinkled up the paper with one hand and shoved it inside my desk along with my rubber erasers, loose leaf, ear muffs, and petrified rocks.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • He reached for the rubber eraser on his desk to fix the mistakes he made while writing.

Synonyms

rubber
vsrubber eraser
  • UK
38 1.0

A small soft piece used to remove pencil marks

is the same but names the item as a small block rather than piece
eraser
vsrubber eraser
  • US
22 1.0

A small rubber or plastic tool for removing pencil marks

is specific to removing pencil marks and not usually for ink
pencil eraser
vsrubber eraser
1 1.0

A small rubber piece on the end of a pencil that removes marks

is often a separate small block rather than the end-mounted piece

How Effective

eraser
  • US
22 1.0
rubber eraser
  • US
1.0

Surface Forms

rubber eraser singular
rubber erasers plural

Morphology

rubber + eraser

This is a straightforward material + object compound: the meaning 'an eraser made of rubber' follows directly from 'rubber' (the material) + 'eraser' (object that removes pencil marks). This compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common and easily predictable for a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Rubber eraser gets its name from the material and the action: early erasers were made of rubber, and you use an eraser to 'rub out' pencil marks. So the name shows what it is and what it does.