as in murder
the intentional and unlawful taking of another person's life
the mafia boss ordered a rubout as casually as you might order a pizza
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to destroy
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
aerial bombs rubbed out the oil refinery
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to assassinate
to put to death deliberately
an elaborate setup to rub out rival mobsters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to eradicate
to destroy all traces of
a promise to rub out the city's drug trade
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rubout
Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
Gia Yetikyel, Vogue, 31 Aug. 2024
Even so, the line about YB is specific enough to stay, since the suspects are accused of conspiring to rub out his killer, Cogan stated.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 24 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for rubout
Noun
Investigators suspect Robinson wanted the rubout.
—Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
Verb
Apply additional pressure while attempting to rub out these stains, but don't go crazy.
—Gia Yetikyel, Vogue, 31 Aug. 2024
Even so, the line about YB is specific enough to stay, since the suspects are accused of conspiring to rub out his killer, Cogan stated.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 24 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for rubout
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rubout
Noun
-
Paul Casteleiro, John Kogut's former defense attorney, fears that Bilodeau's lawyers will put the blame on the three men who were cleared of the murder two decades ago.—
Mary Murphy,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Four people were wounded early Sunday in a shooting at a troubled Queens nightclub with a history of violence and murder.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Thankfully, the Dark Sky movement is growing as more people become aware of the issue and learn about simple and cost-effective ways that can be embraced to reverse the course of destroying our night skies.—
Ernie Cowan,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Radioactive clouds spread, causing panic as far away as Germany and Britain; millions of litres of milk were dumped; livestock was destroyed or banned from sale.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Famously, a former RSS member assassinated one of the most famous Indians in history, Mohandas Gandhi, in 1948.—
Rob Schmitz,
NPR,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the archconservative patriarch of modern Japanese politics who was assassinated in 2022, was the last sitting premier to pay respects at the shrine in-person.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Images by Lisa Kristine were made possible by the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation in Partnership with Human Thread Foundation to eradicate slavery and human trafficking.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Treating the underlying condition eradicates the need for drug treatments that act globally.—
Dr. Patricia Richard,
Hartford Courant,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department detectives have launched a homicide investigation after a man's body was found in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant early Monday morning.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Some involve unsolved homicides, while others are missing persons cases with no signs of foul play.—
Natasha Chen,
CNN Money,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Apparently, staff learned to wash their hands, but the roaches returned to ruin another inspector’s visit.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The rest of the killings were all planned, the victims slain inside the family’s home, most in the basement, when the rest of the family was not home, Heuermann said.—
David K. Li,
NBC news,
23 Apr. 2026
-
But all that would change after the July 7, 2021, slaying of Haiti’s president, when both agents would eventually cut off contact with Pretel and the FBI terminated its contractual engagement with him.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This year was supposed to erase the memory of recent suffering or at least make up for it.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The Rockets responded with runs in each half, outscoring the Lakers in the middle eight minutes and cutting it to 54-51 by halftime after erasing a 15-point deficit.—
Dan Woike,
New York Times,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rubout.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubout. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
