rubbed out

Definition of rubbed outnext
past tense of rub out
1
as in destroyed
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of aerial bombs rubbed out the oil refinery

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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 rubbed out No Mob boss, cheerfully decreeing that an inconvenient witness be rubbed out, could be more resolute. Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rubbed out
Verb
  • Well, Federer just destroyed him — 6-1, 6-4 in about 50 minutes — and that left a lot of time to fill.
    Patrick McEnroe, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
  • The fire killed two people, destroyed 1,084 homes and businesses and did more than $2 billion in property damage.
    Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • In September, Kirk was assassinated in front of three thousand students at Utah Valley University while debating a liberal audience member about gun control.
    Charles Duhigg, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
  • He was assassinated that night.
    Matt Brown, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Re-tooled with new signings, the defensive inadequacies and erratic finishing that had held the club back during his first campaign were eradicated.
    Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
  • At the same time, the nation is seeing an increase in some diseases once considered eradicated here, particularly measles.
    Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Frankly, this ruined my birthday for me for the next forty years.
    Gaby Iori January 27, Literary Hub, 27 Jan. 2026
  • Knowing what not to wash together can save plenty of headaches (and ruined garments and linens) down the line.
    Jamie Cuccinelli, Martha Stewart, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • James Folta Talks to Bookseller Angela Schwesnedl Angela Schwesnedl from Moon Palace Books in Minneapolis picked up my phone call on Saturday almost two hours to the minute after Alex Pretti was murdered in the street by ICE officers.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Jan. 2026
  • Eger watched her parents taken away to the gas chambers where more than a million people, primarily of Jewish descent, were murdered.
    Linda Mcintosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The Clippers erased a second double-digit deficit behind a 14-3 run to open the second quarter and took a 33-31 lead on Leonard’s pull-up jumper.
    Oc Register, Oc Register, 28 Jan. 2026
  • The decline erased more than $55 billion in market value.
    Bloomberg, Twin Cities, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The apartments will replace a vacant lot that once held Community Christian Church, which was demolished in 2022.
    Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 12 Jan. 2026
  • Israel has demolished more than 2,500 buildings in Gaza since the cease-fire began, according to a New York Times analysis of satellite imagery from Planet Labs.
    Samuel Granados, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was summarily executed in the street.
    Dev Patnaik, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
  • His death sentence echoes the case of Iranian wrestling champion Navid Afkari, who was executed in September 2020.
    Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 27 Jan. 2026

Cite this Entry

“Rubbed out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbed%20out. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.

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