1
as in destroying
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 murdering
to put to death deliberately
an elaborate setup to rub out rival mobsters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in eradicating
to destroy all traces of
a promise to rub out the city's drug trade
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rubbing out
Verb
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The Pentagon has generally lumped it into the first objective of destroying Iran’s missile capability.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
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But there may be an answer, or at least a compromise that will satisfy those unhappy with the idea of destroying a usable building.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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What happened Israel’s parliament on Monday gave final approval to legislation that makes death by hanging the default punishment for West Bank Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis.—
Peter Weber,
TheWeek,
31 Mar. 2026
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Israel’s parliament approved death penalty by hanging for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis, making capital punishment the default sentence in military courts.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Instead of eradicating synthetic food dyes, which is within his purview as health secretary, Kennedy has focused on using his bully pulpit to pressure food companies to voluntarily remove them.—
Nicholas Florko,
The Atlantic,
24 Mar. 2026
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The lawsuit, filed March 9 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, claims the plan for eradicating the deer, which have roamed the island for 100 years, was wrongfully approved by the state and needs an environmental review.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Accused of ruining baseball with their big-spending ways the past two years, the noise has only gotten louder as a labor showdown looms.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
29 Mar. 2026
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To figure out its mechanism, Julius’s team had to somehow extract it from cells without ruining the very properties the researchers were trying to understand.—
Jacek Krywko,
Scientific American,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Hezbollah, for the longest time, was strong-arming other parties, and they are accused of assassinating a former Prime Minister.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
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Prosecutors described Glean in a sentencing letter as a rival gang member who hunted Thompson, intent on assassinating him.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The young Nets still hung with the road-weary Lakers until the final minutes, erasing an early double-digit deficit and leading in the fourth quarter of their 20th loss in 22 games overall.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
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Oakland County is erasing $6 million in medical debt for 6,300 county residents.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Martha had a confidence-shattering experience with her previous boyfriend.—
Deborah Treisman,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
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Atlanta Police Department During the incident, a stray bullet struck an Atlanta Public Schools bus, shattering one of its windows.—
CBS News Atlanta Staff,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Prosecutors said the scheme resulted in about $6 million in actual losses, with 11 suspects — including an Iranian and Azerbaijani national — accused of stealing victims’ identities, taking out mortgages on their homes and pocketing the cash.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
21 Mar. 2026
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She was also found guilty of insurance fraud for taking out a $100,000 insurance policy on her husband's life with his forged signature and also for submitting a claim following his death.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rubbing out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbing%20out. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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