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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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
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
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The assault killed at least seventeen people, including a twelve-year-old boy, wounded dozens, and destroyed buildings.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The 24 staff members in Ruiz Verduzco’s office are tasked with assisting victims and their families, establishing programs in communities destroyed by violence and drumming up financial support.—
Molly Quell,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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These attacks often provided a larger cultural pretext for the campaigns of extralegal political violence that terrorized Black voters in the South, assassinated political leaders, and marred the integrity of several of the region’s major elections.—
Robert D. Bland,
The Conversation,
30 Apr. 2026
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An al-Qaida affiliate and an allied separatist group assassinated Mali’s defense minister and captured key territory in the country’s north during the attacks.—
Preeti Jha,
semafor.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Pluckebaum said, using a term that means a community has essentially eradicated homelessness.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
7 May 2026
-
In a few isolated locations, when aggressive actions were taken shortly after the mussels were detected, fledgling populations were eradicated.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
3 May 2026
Verb
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Also be aware that, according to FEMA, the physical original documents are often ruined by flooding, even in homes that survive damage from wind.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
-
Back in the days before the shootout came long and ruined everything diminished the play’s novelty somewhat, a penalty shot would be big news.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Last week, Chicago police Officer John Bartholomew was murdered in the line of duty by a seven-time felon on parole who had multiple criminal arrest warrants, according to authorities.—
Silvana Tabares,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
-
The case of 19-year-old Kristin Smart, who was murdered in her California Polytechnic State University dorm room in 1996, went cold until 2019 when Christopher Lambert, then a Cal Poly student, started a podcast, Your Own Backyard.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
4 May 2026
Verb
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But Brent later erased much of that drop and briefly topped $102, which in turn sent stocks lower on Wall Street.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
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Satellite imagery reveals that in the weeks following the attack on the Abu Naser family building, more Israeli bombing nearly erased the rest of the neighborhood.—
Anas Baba,
NPR,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
It has been recommended that the Denver Pavilions be demolished.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
2 May 2026
-
It was finally demolished in 2024.—
Rafael Olmeda,
Sun Sentinel,
2 May 2026
Verb
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Chasing Horse was taken into custody in 2023 after Las Vegas police executed a search warrant at his home.—
Sean Mandell,
PEOPLE,
28 Apr. 2026
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Federal and state law enforcement executed search warrants in Minnesota early on April 28 in connection with an ongoing fraud probe that has embroiled the state, officials said.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rubbed out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbed%20out. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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