rubber
Direct German Translations & Equivalents:
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Verb Conjugation Tables & Inflections
Definitions & Usage
(uncountable, countable) Pliable material derived from the sap of the rubber tree; a hydrocarbon biopolymer of isoprene.
(uncountable, countable) Natural rubber or any of various synthetic materials with similar properties as natural rubber.
(countable, Australia, India, Brunei, New Zealand, UK) An eraser.
(countable, Canada, US, slang) A condom, especially an external condom.
(countable) Someone or something which rubs.
(historical) The cushion of an electric machine.
(countable, baseball) The rectangular pad on the pitcher's mound from which the pitcher must pitch.
(Canada, US, in the plural) Water-resistant shoe covers, galoshes, overshoes.
(uncountable, slang) Tires, particularly racing tires.
(slang, dated) A hardship or misfortune.
(slang, of a draft/check) Not covered by funds on account.
(sports) In relation to a series of games or matches between two competitors where the overall winner of the series is the competitor which wins a majority of the individual games or matches:
(sports, Canada, US) A rubber match; a game or match played to break a tie.
The game of rubber bridge.
(telephony) To eavesdrop on a telephone call
(slang) To rubberneck; to observe with unseemly curiosity.
Notable Literary & Historical Quotes
“For example, they may use paddle pop sticks, hand span, pencils, rubbers, mathematics equipment (i.e. base 10 material) or anything else the teacher can find to measure the lengths of nominated objects.”
— 2006, Lisa Kervin, Research for Educators, page 148:
“Drawing materials, he thought, I used to love drawing as a lad. I can afford some plain paper and pencils, surely? And a rubber, too. He smiled at the memory of an elderly uncle, also fond of drawing, who′d always called rubbers ‘lead eaters’.”
— 2010, Anna Jacobs, Beyond the Sunset, unnumbered page:
“Stan stole a diary and some pens, pencils, ink and rubbers during his early days as a POW working on the Singapore docks.”
— 2011, Patrick Lindsay, The Spirit of the Digger, Revised edition, unnumbered page: