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
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
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
-
The fire destroyed more than 160 structures and charred 25,000 acres in Orange and Riverside counties.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Her clothes and makeup were destroyed in the damage.—
Leondra Head,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Kerr, whose father Malcolm was assassinated as president of American University in Beirut, used his name and notoriety as a coach to promote the film.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
The Benazir Income Support Program, named after former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in a 2007 gun and bomb attack, provides cash assistance to millions of low-income families, many of them women.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Measles, once eradicated, has grown to 1,300 cases since an outbreak last year.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
18 Mar. 2026
-
The past year has seen the highest rates of measles since before the disease was eradicated in 2000, and the country may already have lost its measles-free status.—
Claire Cameron,
Scientific American,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Depending on how bad the pest ruined plants in a particular latitude, the farmer either made it financially, or borrowed more from the bank to eat during the winter.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Mar. 2026
-
But this war may well have ruined the chances for such diplomatic options for many years to come.—
Matthew Bunn,
The Conversation,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
State officials say that Jackson murdered 22-year-old Harley Corwin, of Escanaba, on July 3, 2023.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
-
In November, Kerr spoke about the need for gun reform after legendary Oakland coach John Beam was murdered at Laney College, and called for change after a shooting at Brown University in December.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In terms of sheer duration, nothing tops the 1994-95 strike, a 232-day encounter between immovable object and unstoppable force that erased a total of 948 games and led to the cancellation of the World Series.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
18 Mar. 2026
-
However, if people stop taking the medication, those heart benefits are erased.—
Brenda Goodman,
CNN Money,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The strip mall was cleared of commercial tenants and demolished in September 2021, leaving many in the surrounding neighborhood wondering when real estate development would fill in the empty land.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The Power House in Zion has already been demolished.—
Edward Keegan,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Michael King, 54, was executed by lethal injection on Tuesday, March 17, for the kidnapping, rape and murder of 21-year-old Denise Amber Lee.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Welling refined design elements in the field, while seven Arcis crews simultaneously executed the transformation.—
Eric Prisbell,
Dallas Morning News,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rubbed out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbed%20out. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
