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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rubbing out
Verb
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Since then, the Internet has gone about its immemorial business of destroying all incumbent forms of media; not content with vampirizing print, the digital space began sucking the life from pay-TV a dozen years ago.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
3 Oct. 2025 -
Critics say returning the company without meaningful payment undercuts accountability and the compensatory purpose of the judgments; others note trustees and Judge Lopez have to avoid value-destroying, prolonged processes.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The session proceeded without a live video-feed of the 22-year-old defendant charged with murdering the conservative influencer at a Utah college campus on September 10, alongside counts of felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction, and witness tampering.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
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Then, in 2024, Gates and Richard James Romano were both charged with murdering Alliauna Green, a rising Oakland rapper who used the stage name Tan DaGod.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In July, after FilmLA’s contract was renewed for five more years despite opposition from some local public advocates, a host of measures aimed at streamlining and eradicating bureaucratic hurdles in the film permitting process was approved.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Oct. 2025
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Childhood vaccinations are widely considered effective and safe—eradicating illnesses that once claimed kids’ lives, such as mumps and polio.—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Or pursue the rancid criminal element across the galaxy as a bounty hunter, making your fortune by ruining bad guys' lives.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
7 Oct. 2025
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So much so that the official Carol Burnett Show YouTube channel has several 15-minute salutes of Burnett, Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, Vicki Lawrence, and others busting up and ruining the bit.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Casual killings at point-blank range, vicious motorcycle jackings, tossing someone off a building, assassinating the actual Mark Cuban (playing himself) — this, in the movie, is what the good guys do.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
1 Oct. 2025
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Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk at a Utah college campus earlier this month, returned to court Monday, sort of.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Failing to seize the narrative, the authorities shifted course and began erasing the record from public memory.—
Yangyang Cheng,
NPR,
4 Oct. 2025
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These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Tens of thousands have been fleeing the city, which has seen Israel demolishing high-rise buildings.—
Caitlin Danaher,
CNN Money,
20 Sep. 2025
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Preservationists stepped in to keep the company from its standard practice of demolishing a vacant building.—
Cheryl V. Jackson,
IndyStar,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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While Annie seemed like the odd duck out, her closest, idol-holding ally Alex seemed to be considering Sophi as his target, with the goal of taking out his bromance Jake’s other bestie.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
2 Oct. 2025
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Why would Alex risk pissing off Jake by taking out his other number one so early?—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Rubbing out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbing%20out. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
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