obstacle, obstruction - something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted; "lack of immagination is an obstacle to one's advancement"; "the poverty of a district is an obstacle to good education"; "the filibuster was a major obstruction to the success of their plan"

contact - the act of touching physically; "her fingers came in contact with the light switch"

scuff - the act of scuffing (scraping or dragging the feet)

guide, pass, run, draw - guide or pass over something; "He ran his eyes over her body"; "She ran her fingers along the carved figurine"; "He drew her hair through his fingers"

brush - rub with a brush, or as if with a brush; "Johnson brushed the hairs from his jacket"

gauge - rub to a uniform size; "gauge bricks"

puree, strain - rub through a strainer or process in an electric blender; "puree the vegetables for the baby"

rosin - rub rosin onto; "rosin the violin bow"

sponge down, sponge off - clean with a sponge, by rubbing

worry - touch or rub constantly; "The old man worried his beads"

scrub, scour - clean with hard rubbing; "She scrubbed his back"

abrade, scour - rub hard or scrub; "scour the counter tops"

smudge, smutch, smear, blur - make a smudge on; soil by smudging

scrape, grate - scratch repeatedly; "The cat scraped at the armchair"

wipe, pass over - rub with a circular motion; "wipe the blackboard"

grate - reduce to small shreds or pulverize by rubbing against a rough or sharp perforated surface; "grate carrots and onions"; "grate nutmeg"

abrade, abrase, corrade, rub down, rub off - wear away

massage, rub down, knead - manually manipulate (someone's body), usually for medicinal or relaxation purposes; "She rubbed down her child with a sponge"

abrade, abrase, corrade, rub down, rub off - wear away

rub out, score out, wipe off, erase, efface - remove by or as if by rubbing or erasing; "Please erase the formula on the blackboard--it is wrong!"

adjoin, contact, touch, meet - be in direct physical contact with; make contact; "The two buildings touch"; "Their hands touched"; "The wire must not contact the metal cover"; "The surfaces contact at this point"

irritate - excite to an abnormal condition, of chafe or inflame; "Aspirin irritates my stomach"