RUB IN Definition & Meaning

View synonyms for

rub in

verb

to spread with pressure, esp in order to cause to be absorbed
rub it in informal.
to harp on (something distasteful to a person, of which he or she does not wish to be reminded)

Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

Also, rub it in . Harp on something, especially an unpleasant matter, as in She always rubs in the fact that she graduated with honors and I didn't , or I know I forgot your birthday, but don't keep rubbing it in . This idiom alludes to the expression rub salt into a wound , an action that makes the wound more painful; it dates from medieval times and remains current. [Mid-1800s] Also see rub someone's nose in it .

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Sports costs became a major rub in the recent dispute.

From

The dance begins when Tribus pretends to spit on the floor and rub in the spit with his foot.

From

And here's the rub: in debates like this, the convention is the motion itself, the SNP's position, will be voted on, as will the government's position.

From

Did she really need to rub in her first-place reign?

From

And if you’re a hairy man, be sure to carefully rub in the sunscreen, says Stacy P. Salob, clinical assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medical College.

From

Related �y��vlogs

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Browse