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 But an Irish knock-on rubbed out a try for Jack Conan, and the second chance was turned over by Mann. ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026 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
  • While there are no comprehensive studies comparing the environmental impacts of cultivated versus conventional seafood, alternatives like Wildtype could avoid ocean pollution and overfishing, which have caused losses in biodiversity and destroyed the ocean’s resiliency.
    Jaia Clingham-David, Bon Appetit Magazine, 15 Apr. 2026
  • Yutu destroyed 85% of the Saipan campus of Northern Marianas College, said the school's president, Galvin Deleon Guerrero.
    Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Utah Valley University has dropped its commencement speaker, Sharon McMahon, after conservative groups criticized her over past comments about Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated on campus during his American Comeback Tour in September.
    Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2026
  • The same forces also assassinated Lebanon’s president-elect, Bashir Gemayel, in 1982 and Lebanon’s former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri in 2005.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Without widespread vaccine adherence, illnesses that were once eradicated can make a return.
    Sukhman Rekhi, Verywell Health, 13 Apr. 2026
  • Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan remain the only countries where polio has not been eradicated, according to the World Health Organization.
    ABC News, ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Scott would play Ben Wyatt, a former teen mayor who’d ruined his town financially and was now paying penance by becoming a state budget auditor.
    Jennifer Armstrong, IndieWire, 15 Apr. 2026
  • Voicer Peter Sulzicki may be correct in that the three-pointer has ruined the game of basketball.
    Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 15 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The family of the cabaret artist Fritz Grünbaum, who was murdered in the Holocaust, for example, was able to recover works by Viennese Expressionist artist Egon Schiele that were in Grünbaum’s vast personal collection in 2018 after decades of efforts.
    Jackie Hajdenberg, Sun Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026
  • During production, Fosse insisted that Roberts spend the night in the actual apartment where Dorothy Stratten, the real-life Playboy Playmate of the Year from 1980, was murdered by her husband and manager, Paul Snider, the role Roberts was playing.
    Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Baron, from the Child Abuse Prevention Council, said the county should have been well aware of all that information — and erased her from the list of potential foster parents.
    Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
  • The number of people facing high levels of hunger in Haiti is expected to drop slightly, according to a new report released Thursday, but officials say the situation remains critical and that any small gains might soon be erased because of soaring oil prices linked to the war in Iran.
    ABC News, ABC News, 16 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • But part of the deal involves the purchase of the adjacent Blue Cross and Blue Shield building (to be demolished) along with its parking.
    Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 19 Apr. 2026
  • Xfinity Mobile Arena, which broke ground in 1994 and opened in 1996, would be demolished once the new arena is completed.
    Tom Dougherty, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Fox News was on the ground as authorities executed a search warrant in Spring, Texas.
    Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Brooke Taylor, FOXNews.com, 14 Apr. 2026
  • If the transaction passes the check, the transaction is executed.
    Jack Kubinec, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026

Cite this Entry

“Rubbed out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbed%20out. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.

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