RUBBING OUT Synonyms: 210 Similar and Opposite Words

rubbing out

verb

present participle of rub out

as in destroying

to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of aerial bombs rubbed out the oil refinery

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in murdering

to put to death deliberately an elaborate setup to rub out rival mobsters

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in eradicating

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 rubbing out Also on the trail is a gangster named Clyde (John Magaro), who’s been sent to redo the job of rubbing out the mysteriously undead Ida. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rubbing out

Verb

After flying toward a naval target over the Black Sea, the aircraft launched one of the supersonic missiles from a stand-off distance exceeding 120 kilometers, successfully destroying its target.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 14 July 2026
Los Angeles Fire Department arson investigators are probing a destructive fire that ripped through a Sun Valley strip mall early Sunday morning, destroying a beloved family-run market.

— Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 14 July 2026

Definition of destroying

Verb

Patty Gifford's late mother, Barbara Ryan, sobbed in court when Sochor was found guilty of murdering her daughter, according to the Sun Sentinel.

— Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 15 July 2026
She was eventually charged with murdering nine people, including several of her tenants.

— Selome Hailu, Variety, 7 July 2026

Definition of murdering

Verb

This oral therapy marks a major step toward eradicating cardiovascular disease.

— Robert Glatter, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
When William and his brother, Prince Harry, were young boys, the former Princess of Wales would regularly take them to homeless shelters, and eradicating homelessness has become a cornerstone of the future king’s royal work.

— Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 30 June 2026

Definition of eradicating

Verb

Plus, one of the biggest things that holds people back from DIY is a fear of ruining their home, but that’s virtually impossible with peel-and-stick wallpaper.

— Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 13 July 2026
Clothes moths are indoor pests notorious for ruining the best threads in any closet.

— Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 July 2026

Definition of ruining

Verb

Attorneys at a key hearing for the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk sparred over whether a police interview should be made public, with Kirk’s family attorney saying that sealing it will only sow distrust in the justice system.

— Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 9 July 2026
The 23-year-old man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University will be in court this week for the most substantial hearing so far in his murder case.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 July 2026

Definition of assassinating

Verb

These hit the ticker the same day IBM cratered 25%, erasing roughly $40 billion in market value on a revenue miss that, in any other environment, would have been unremarkable.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 15 July 2026
Elon Musk’s rocket, satellite and artificial intelligence company has plunged one-third from its post-listing peak, erasing nearly $850 billion in value.

— Bloomberg, Mercury News, 15 July 2026

Definition of erasing

Verb

The tax, generally considered a barometer of the tourist industry’s health, has been on a 14-month tear, shattering all monthly revenue records and outpacing the rosiest of predictions by its closest followers.

— Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 July 2026
While the franchise dates way back to gaming’s 16-bit era, its most recent release, 2020’s Streets of Rage 4, hit like a jaw-shattering Grand Hook with critics and fans alike.

— Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 2026