rubbing alcohol

noun

1. a poisonous solution of about 70 percent isopropyl or denatured ethyl alcohol, usually containing a perfume oil, used chiefly in massaging.

rubbing alcohol

noun

1. a liquid usually consisting of 70 per cent denatured ethyl alcohol, used by external application as an antiseptic or rubefacient

Word History and Origins

Origin of rubbing alcohol¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

One of the boys, a stocky ruddy-faced blond teen, vanished after he and Middleton got drunk on rubbing alcohol.

From The Daily Beast

And a rubbing alcohol/lavender oil mix works only as a short-term defense to buy time until the exterminator comes.

From The Daily Beast

Strategies run the gamut from freezing everything you own to lathering your body in a mix of rubbing alcohol and lavender oil.

From The Daily Beast