rubbed out

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

2
3

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 This treacherous gang has phenomenally rubbed out many signatures of independence in a very short time. Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 14 June 2026 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
  • The crash sparked a fire that destroyed the aircraft, which was operating as a skydiving flight, according to the NTSB.
    Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 16 June 2026
  • The fire burned more than 60 acres and destroyed several structures, including homes, according to CBS Los Angeles.
    Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2026
Verb
  • His father, Manuel Cepeda, was a prominent figure in the Colombian Communist Party, and was assassinated in 1994 during a particularly bloody era in Colombia's internal conflict.
    David Unsworth, FOXNews.com, 23 June 2026
  • Last year, on September 10th, Kirk was assassinated in the midst of a debate, in front of some three thousand people at Utah Valley University.
    Eliza Griswold, New Yorker, 22 June 2026
Verb
  • In the 1960s, screwworm was eradicated from America thanks to robust foreign assistance.
    Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 17 June 2026
  • The sound of water, which normally underlay everyday life, had been momentarily eradicated.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 June 2026
Verb
  • Showing up to shoot in person would only have ruined the city with its realness.
    Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 17 June 2026
  • Pete Crow-Armstrong put his name in the Chicago Cubs' record book next to Hall of Fame slugger Hack Wilson — and then nearly ruined the celebration at Wrigley Field.
    ABC News, ABC News, 16 June 2026
Verb
  • Thirty years after she was murdered, Aimee Willard is still honoring her legacy with a garden of sunflowers in Delaware County.
    Joe Holden, CBS News, 23 June 2026
  • Later on, Jaehaerys II is murdered in the episode’s climax.
    Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 22 June 2026
Verb
  • Stocks rose on Wall Street Thursday and erased most of their losses from a day earlier to notch weekly gains.
    Damian J. Troise, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026
  • It's believed a similar construction may have existed early on at Stonehenge itself, but any traces of that structure would have been erased as development continued into what is there today.
    Adam England, PEOPLE, 18 June 2026
Verb
  • When the new plant opens, Fiveash will eventually be decommissioned and demolished, but not right away.
    Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 21 June 2026
  • The existing residence was demolished, though plans to build a new house never moved forward.
    Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 19 June 2026
Verb
  • Then there is the strategy, executed without the million-dollar budget that comes with studio backing.
    Clayton Davis, Variety, 17 June 2026
  • Investigators executed a search warrant at the headquarters of the conspiracy in Baltimore and seized more than 8,000 packs of untaxed cigarettes and hundreds of counterfeit Maryland tax stamps.
    Adam Thompson, CBS News, 17 June 2026

Cite this Entry

“Rubbed out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbed%20out. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.

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