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 current San Geronimo Chapel was built in 1850 to replace a church destroyed in the Mexican American War.—
Alia Beard Rau,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
-
The video and the SCE data offer proof that the 100-year-old line, which hadn’t been used since the early 1970s, became re-electrified and sparked the fire that killed 19 people and destroyed thousands of homes in Altadena and surrounding areas, attorneys say.—
Tony Saavedra,
Daily News,
10 June 2026
Verb
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In 1901, McKinley was tragically assassinated while still in office.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
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Medgar was assassinated on June 12, 1963, in the driveway of their home by Byron De La Beckwith.—
USA TODAY Network,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Key Background The United States eradicated screwworm in the 1960s through a massive sterile fly program, but outbreaks in Mexico and Central America have raised concerns about the parasite moving north again.—
Mary Whitfill Roeloffs,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
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This sequence of events used to occur regularly in the US and Central America; screwworm was endemic here but was eradicated after a concerted, decades-long campaign to annihilate its populations.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
9 June 2026
Verb
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That's when the PAW Patrol has to step in to stop Humdinger before the island is ruined!—
Sari Hitchins,
Parents,
10 June 2026
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But Wembanyama and the Spurs ended the streak and ruined the Knicks’ first home NBA Finals game since 1999.—
Brian Mahoney,
Chicago Tribune,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Conlon also launched Recovered Voices, an initiative to revive operas by composers who had been murdered or driven into exile during the Nazi era.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
-
And in 1960, fearing Congo and its vast resources moving out of the West’s sphere of influence, Eisenhower ordered Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba murdered.—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
15 June 2026
Verb
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These Knicks, who erased a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter against Cleveland in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, just don’t quit.—
Tim Reynolds,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
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The matchup emerged after Raman erased a roughly 40,000-vote election night deficit against Pratt and overtook him in subsequent ballot count updates.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
11 June 2026
Verb
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Last week, an iconic cafe was demolished at the base of the structure, and on Sunday, some residents were wondering if excavation work three weeks ago may have contributed to the pier's collapse.—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
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Without any fencing or protective outer layer, the house was demolished in 1902, devoured by cows.—
Noah Daly,
Idaho Statesman,
13 June 2026
Verb
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On Friday, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Tiffany's home.—
Tom Ignudo,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
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Lee was set to become the ninth person executed with nitrogen before Marks' order.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rubbed out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbed%20out. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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