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 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
  • One residence was damaged and a minor structure was destroyed, according to an incident update.
    Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026
  • After powerful twin earthquakes devastated parts of Venezuela and destroyed their home in the coastal town of Caraballeda last month, Maria and her brother Damian, 13, were taken in by their aunt, Mercedes Osul.
    Osmary Hernández, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
Verb
  • The 48-year-old daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte is accused of corruption, bribery, misappropriating millions in government funds and threatening to have the current president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, assassinated.
    Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 9 July 2026
  • Politician Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of assassinated former Burma Prime Minister Aung San, was placed under house arrest by Burma’s ruling junta.
    USA Today, USA Today, 7 July 2026
Verb
  • But before the thylacine was fully eradicated, 13 pups of the marsupial species were preserved in alcohol.
    Taylor Dotson, Scientific American, 10 July 2026
  • Racist chanting in grounds has been heard since the 1960s and though less common now, it has not been eradicated, as recent examples of the abuse of Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior show.
    Patrick Iversen, New York Times, 6 July 2026
Verb
  • Michael seemed to be saying that by admitting her dishonesty, Ethel would have ruined their childhood and poisoned any prospect of a future relationship with her.
    Amy Weiss-Meyer, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026
  • Instead of fighting with Whitney, Lindsay has a talk with Yvonne about how Lindsay ruined Yvonne’s wedding by making it all about her.
    Brian Moylan, Vulture, 8 July 2026
Verb
  • In 2019, a German nurse who murdered 87 patients by deliberately bringing about cardiac arrests was given a life sentence.
    ABC News, ABC News, 8 July 2026
  • People were becoming aware of the tens of millions of victims who had been murdered by communist regimes over the previous decades.
    David Brooks, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
Verb
  • Young took a leadoff single off right-hander Tyron Guerrero, but it was erased by a double play.
    Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 11 July 2026
  • With the latest rally, the stock has erased its losses for the year and is now up more than 2%.
    CJ Haddad, CNBC, 10 July 2026
Verb
  • The 163rd Street Theatre was demolished in 1996 and today a Home Depot stands on the land.
    Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 9 July 2026
  • Structures on the site, at 1451 Sproule Avenue, were demolished in 2005.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 8 July 2026
Verb
  • Of the 63 inmates executed in the United States in 2025 and so far this year, Florida has carried out 28 of them.
    Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 11 July 2026
  • Channel your inner Sporty Spice with preppy tees featuring jersey numbers and rugby stripes, executed with fashionable precision by Versace, Nili Lotan, Staud, and TWP.
    Rosie Jarman, Vogue, 10 July 2026

Cite this Entry

“Rubbed out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbed%20out. Accessed 14 Jul. 2026.

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