the rub
noun
formal
: something that causes a difficulty or problem
She's an amazing cook, but she rarely has time to make meals. There's the rub.
Therein/There lies the rub.
Examples of the rub in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Well, there’s the rub: this particular single barrel offering was selected by and for Warehouse Liquors, a lauded bottle shop near the South Loop of Chicago.
—
Brad Japhe, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
But here’s the rub: By keeping the same trains in service in Peru, Caltrain is just exporting the pollution problem south, making our gain in California a global wash.
—Dave Cortese, The Mercury News, 13 Feb. 2025
Nothing more unlovely inhabits the Venetian lagoon, and there’s the rub: the beast is notably loyal to that neighborhood.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2024
Here’s the rub—and this kinda makes things a sticky situation.
—Todd Nordstrom, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the rub
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Brad Japhe, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
But here’s the rub: By keeping the same trains in service in Peru, Caltrain is just exporting the pollution problem south, making our gain in California a global wash.
—Dave Cortese, The Mercury News, 13 Feb. 2025
Nothing more unlovely inhabits the Venetian lagoon, and there’s the rub: the beast is notably loyal to that neighborhood.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2024
Here’s the rub—and this kinda makes things a sticky situation.
—Todd Nordstrom, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the rub
Cite this Entry
“The rub.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20rub. Accessed 7 Apr. 2025.
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