rub shoulders

present singular third person rubs shoulders · participle present rubbing shoulders · participle past rubbed shoulders · past rubbed shoulders

1. idiomaticusuallyTo associate closely; to socialize or mingle.

   All classes rub shoulders on the greasy benches.

   1887, Robert Louis Stevenson, chapter 1, in Memories and Portraits

   3 more examples

   In this establishment, as everybody knows, on occasions when the crush is great, the animals rub shoulders freely with the spectators.

   1894, Henry James, chapter 6, in The Death of the Lion

   [N]ow and then the two dress themselves roughly, like common men, and go out into the city to see what it's like to rub shoulders with the rest of the world.

   1915, Frances Hodgson Burnett, chapter 24, in The Lost Prince

   It pays to network and rub shoulders virtually with potential customers on the Web.

   2010 March 10, Lori Ioannou, “Use Social Media to Build Your Brand”, in Time

   Synonyms: rub elbows