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
2
as in assassinated
to put to death deliberately
an elaborate setup to rub out rival mobsters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in eradicated
to destroy all traces of
a promise to rub out the city's drug trade
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rubbed out
Verb
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The Palisades fire killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,000 structures, becoming the third-most destructive fire in state history.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Jan. 2026
-
One year after the Palisades Fire leveled entire neighborhoods and destroyed thousands of homes, one Malibu resident is stepping up to help rebuild his community with his architectural expertise.—
Luzdelia Caballero,
CBS News,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Mexican journalist Mauricio Cruz Solís was assassinated shortly after interviewing Manzo in October 2024.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
-
His original, undoctored manuscript even suggests that James might have plotted to have Elizabeth assassinated.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Spider mites create webs and can be eradicated with miticide spray.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Just last week, a professor who taught at Harvard for 40 years slammed the school for its ideological homogeneity after finishing his last semester, saying that graduate programs were denying White male applicants on racial grounds and that Western civilization courses were being eradicated.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
However her past experiences haven't ruined the actress' trips back home.—
Ralphie Aversa,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
-
That’s why his mistress threw in with Frank to intimidate Dale into a land deal that would have ruined any chance of Chutto’s family ever getting their land back.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In 2017, for instance, prosecutors in Contra Costa overcame an insanity defense by William Shultz, who murdered a 9-year-old Discovery Bay boy during a sleepover and blamed it on a delusion about an impending World War III.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
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Three women are murdered in Dahlonega, Georgia, and the six episodes are all about the search for the culprit.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Gary Simmons’ Rush, housed at the Cookie Factory in Denver, is an immersive meditation on movement, memory, and what gets erased in the recording of American history.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
9 Jan. 2026
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Photograph by Stuart Palley I’m writing on the eve of the anniversary of the fires that flattened my Pacific Palisades neighborhood, all but erased the community of Altadena, and left unhealed scars across Los Angeles.—
Dana Goodyear,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In 2024, the abanonded LaGrave Field baseball stadium was demolished.—
Fousia Abdullahi,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The tall high-rise buildings not demolished in Gaza City are seen in the far distance.—
Daniel Estrin,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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McKee said police also executed search warrants before the couple was arrested.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
10 Jan. 2026
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Now, Braddy's case is back in court, with a jury once again weighing whether he should be executed.—
Nicole Acosta,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rubbed out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbed%20out. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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