# rubbing

/ˈɹəbɪŋ/ (US) · /ɹˈʌbɪŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/rubbing
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 2. an artistic copy

noun · CEFR B2

a picture made by placing paper over a textured surface and pressing a pencil or crayon over it.

For teachers: an impression of a raised or recessed surface made by placing paper over it and applying a colouring agent to reveal the texture.

- The children made a rubbing of the old coin to see the date more clearly.
- The historian carefully created a charcoal rubbing of the medieval gravestone to preserve the fading inscription for future study.

## Examples

- The child made a rubbing of a leaf with a green crayon.
- Historians often take a rubbing of old gravestones to preserve the text before the stone weathers away completely.
- The museum's collection includes a detailed rubbing of the temple's frieze, capturing intricate carvings that have since been lost to environmental degradation and urban pollution.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.