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
Katherine Alex Beaven, Travel + Leisure, 27 Nov. 2023
Leach, subsequently dealt from the Seals to the Flyers in May 1974, won the Cup with the Broad Streeters in ‘75 and amassed his 19 the following spring, when they were rubbed out by the Canadiens, 4-0, in the Cup Final.
—Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 13 May 2023
The Penguins were rubbed out easily Tuesday night by the resurgent Devils, 5-1, a dispiriting loss that dipped them 1 point out of a wild-card spot behind the Panthers and Islanders.
—Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Apr. 2023
But church officials warn that secularization more than anything led them to rub out the godparents, a Sicilian thing that’s been going on for 2,000 years, or at least since the church’s dicey first days, when sponsors known to bishops vouched for converts to prevent pagan infiltration.
—New York Times, 16 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for rubout
Verb
Each wipe comes pre-soaked in Shout stain fighter and is designed with a textured surface that creates extra friction to rub out stains.
—Katherine Alex Beaven, Travel + Leisure, 27 Nov. 2023
Leach, subsequently dealt from the Seals to the Flyers in May 1974, won the Cup with the Broad Streeters in ‘75 and amassed his 19 the following spring, when they were rubbed out by the Canadiens, 4-0, in the Cup Final.
—Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 13 May 2023
The Penguins were rubbed out easily Tuesday night by the resurgent Devils, 5-1, a dispiriting loss that dipped them 1 point out of a wild-card spot behind the Panthers and Islanders.
—Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Apr. 2023
But church officials warn that secularization more than anything led them to rub out the godparents, a Sicilian thing that’s been going on for 2,000 years, or at least since the church’s dicey first days, when sponsors known to bishops vouched for converts to prevent pagan infiltration.
—New York Times, 16 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for rubout
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rubout
Noun
-
The Vice Lords is a gang whose members have been involved in murder, drug trafficking and other violent crime, according to the US Justice Department.—
Emma Tucker,
CNN Money,
6 Aug. 2025
-
An arrest warrant for second-degree murder has been issued.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
There were 25 diesel buses that were destroyed per the grant regulations, Young said.—
Harley Walls,
Arkansas Online,
7 Aug. 2025
-
But when our home was destroyed, our studio lost, and the war displaced us to Khanyounis’s tent camps, cooking became less about flavor and more about survival.—
Hamada Shaqoura,
Time,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Milk, an openly gay public official in California, was assassinated in 1978.—
Frank Witsil,
Freep.com,
4 Aug. 2025
-
One month after King Jr. was assassinated in April 1968, SCLC leadership carried out his vision of a Poor People's Campaign.—
Leo Bertucci,
The Courier-Journal,
2 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The species was largely eradicated in Connecticut because of habitat loss and over-trapping by the 1900’s.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
5 Aug. 2025
-
Measles, once largely eradicated in the United States, has resurged in unvaccinated communities, with outbreaks reported in states surrounding Wisconsin.—
Anna Kleiber,
jsonline.com,
30 July 2025
Noun
-
Cincinnati's homicide and shooting incident rates are currently higher than those of New York City and Chicago.—
Cameron Knight,
The Enquirer,
5 Aug. 2025
-
The Yogurt Shop Murders is a new HBO documentary about the unsolved 1991 homicide of four teenage girls in Austin.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Miami Herald,
14 Aug. 2025
-
But a sewer backup during this weekend's historic flood ruined 60 of the backpacks, Maya Bell reports.—
Hope Karnopp,
jsonline.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
An additional three people have been slain this year in the 101st Precinct, which covers Far Rockaway from Beach 59th St. east to the Long Island border.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
13 Aug. 2025
-
Earlier this year, inmates Saul Alvarez, Thorne Harnage and Donald Lashley were slain at the prison.—
Rey Covarrubias Jr,
AZCentral.com,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
On Wednesday, following the reverse split, shares surged and more than erased their prior day losses.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
6 Aug. 2025
-
However, the Rangers erased the Yankees’ three-run lead in the bottom of the second, as former pinstriped prospects Josh Smith and Ezequiel Duran — traded for Joey Gallo in 2021 — had RBI knocks off Max Fried, with the latter tying the game.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rubout.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubout. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share