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
-
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
-
North Texas will soon have a Charlie Kirk Parkway, dedicated to the memory of the 31-year-old conservative activist who was assassinated last September.—
Elizabeth Campbell,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were assassinated in their home in June.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
When expressions are reduced or largely eradicated, communication is distorted.—
Valerie Monroe,
Allure,
15 Jan. 2026
-
It was thought to have been eradicated in the 1960s, but re-emerged in the 1990s, and is now common.—
Tom Hawking,
Popular Science,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The library where generations prepared for their bar and bat mitzvahs was ruined, as was an administrative office.—
Bracey Harris,
NBC news,
14 Jan. 2026
-
That they will be personally ruined for doing honest work.—
Dave Myers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
What happens when these cues are greatly diminished or erased either by plastic surgery or other aesthetic interventions?—
Valerie Monroe,
Allure,
15 Jan. 2026
-
But the movement to force women and girls to compete against transgender women forces females to ignore these differences and be erased.—
Nicole Russell,
USA Today,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The apartments will replace a vacant lot that once held Community Christian Church, which was demolished in 2022.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Israel has demolished more than 2,500 buildings in Gaza since the cease-fire began, according to a New York Times analysis of satellite imagery from Planet Labs.—
Samuel Granados,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
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 18 Jan. 2026.
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