rub up

verb

rubbed up; rubbing up; rubs up

transitive verb

1
: to revive or refresh knowledge of : recall
2
: to improve the keenness of (a mental faculty)

Examples of rub up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Then getting that energy to major cities means traversing some of the most pristine, spectacular natural corridors this nation has left, and particularly in the Southwest, rubbing up against the sacred lands of local tribal communities. — Sara Herschander, Vox, 22 Oct. 2026 Both Erdoğan and Putin are skilful soft-power players, who target the very places where the Ottoman, Russian and Soviet empires once rubbed up. — Literary Hub, 30 July 2026 The 130-year-old Canary Island date palm that was originally planted in 1896 now stands just to the right of the Jungle Cruise entrance — so close, in fact, that the trunk rubs up against the boathouse queue building. — Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 7 July 2026 Asked about this, Wallach told Inside Climate News that a tiger rubbing up against its fencing is not upset. — Katie Surma, Sun Sentinel, 19 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for rub up

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1571, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rub up was circa 1571

Rhymes for rub up

See All Rhymes for rub up

Browse Nearby Words

rub the wrong way
rub up
rubus
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rub up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rub%20up. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All