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 beams would be far brighter than the full moon and, even if carefully pointed, would scatter in the atmosphere to be very bright off-beam, disrupting wildlife and effectively destroying the sky’s remaining natural beauty by erasing the stars from our sight.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
6 Mar. 2026
-
An estimated 50,000 pounds of ice collapsed the sanctuary roof, destroying nearly everything.—
Marvin Hurst,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And Bill Clinton took military action in 1999 to stop mass-murdering Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic.—
Betsy McCaughey,
Boston Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Huntley denied murdering the two 10-year-olds, but was convicted after a trial at London's Central Criminal Court in 2003.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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More imminently, Krugman wrote war costs could collide with fears of artificial intelligence eradicating jobs—or eventually suffering a reversal in fortunes on the market, taking asset prices and business confidence down with it.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
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Yet Aii has struggled to achieve more than a handful of percentage points of its goal of eradicating 100 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions by the decade’s end.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Trump has long mocked Bush for ruining his presidency by invading Iraq, and his administration over the past week has sought to downplay any parallels between Bush’s misadventures and its own attack on Iran.—
Vivian Salama,
The Atlantic,
6 Mar. 2026
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The White House believed that that Iran was intentionally ruining the Mideast peace process, and then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich had called Iran the most dangerous nation on Earth.—
Brit McCandless Farmer,
CBS News,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In 1969, James Earl Ray pleaded guilty in Memphis, Tennessee, to assassinating civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Feb. 2026
-
The presiding judge in the case against Tyler Robinson, accused of assassinating conservative icon Charlie Kirk last September, will rule on a critical defense motion today.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The beams would be far brighter than the full moon and, even if carefully pointed, would scatter in the atmosphere to be very bright off-beam, disrupting wildlife and effectively destroying the sky’s remaining natural beauty by erasing the stars from our sight.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The stock market plunged on Tuesday, erasing Monday's comeback.—
Natasha Abellard,
CNBC,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
From thunderous victory to shattering downfall, this play delivers sweeping action sequences, political intrigue, and a theatrical experience that hits with the force of a battle drum.—
Cincinnati Enquirer,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Mar. 2026
-
That burst of momentum came in a primary that was already shattering spending records.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In response, Israel has ordered some 300,000 residents of Hezbollah's stronghold in Beirut to flee, taking out building after building.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Weigh the tradeoffs before taking out a loan against your retirement savings.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rubbing out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbing%20out. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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