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

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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 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
  • Oren Amir, founder of Go Home Builders in Los Angeles, said some of his rebuilding projects in Altadena, where residential areas were destroyed by January’s wildfires, have been delayed by conflicting guidance from the city on rooftop solar panel requirements.
    Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Shipments may not be delivered, or even destroyed, as shipping companies seek information required to adhere to new tariffs.
    Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Kirk was assassinated during a Turning Point USA event on the campus of Utah Valley University in September.
    Mitch Picasso , Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Political commentator Candace Owens, does not believe the official story that Charlie Kirk was assassinated by Tyler Robinson even though Robinson confessed to multiple people and investigators put together a concrete timeline of events.
    Rafael Perez, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Lead poisoning, all but eradicated in the West, still harms millions of children in the developing world, with lead-acid battery recycling a key culprit.
    Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2025
  • FellinAI‘s first feature, The Sweet Idleness, imagines a world in which machines have eradicated 99% of jobs, leaving humans to a life of leisure.
    Jake Kanter, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Back in January, Preston remembered filming My Best Friend’s Wedding — and how an iconic scene ruined crab and lobster for her.
    Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
  • All the beautiful lines have been ruined.
    Sean Evans, Robb Report, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Another legend explains how in the distant past, the nefarious Lake Nyos was formed from the decomposing body of a Kom chief whose people had been tricked and murdered by the Bamessi tribe.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
  • State social studies standards for years have included discussion of how white Tulsans murdered as many as 300 Black people.
    Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • After a sleepy start, the Americans came to life throughout the middle third of the game, and erased an early 1-0 deficit to end their October camp on a high note.
    Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Many of those drivers could have stemmed or erased their losses simply by waiting for another year or two and paying off some or all of the remaining loan balance, Drury said.
    Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Gacy's house was demolished, and the property was razed in April 1979.
    Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
  • The existing five buildings that would be demolished to clear the way for the project total 422,600 square feet.
    George Avalos, Mercury News, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Besides religion, what are other possible reasons a person might have executed a forgery?
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 16 Oct. 2025
  • As a large crowd watched, Hamas gunmen executed the men with shots to the back of the head.
    NPR, NPR, 16 Oct. 2025

Cite this Entry

“Rubbed out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbed%20out. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

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