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

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 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

Sign up for the newsletter When the rain does fall, Kabul’s hard, impermeable surfaces mean the water doesn’t replenish aquifers, but instead sweeps through the city as flash floods, destroying homes, killing people and rolling away.

— Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026
Space debris is generated not only by kinetic space weapons but also when satellites collide and get smashed into countless fragments and smaller particles that travel at high velocity and are capable of destroying or damaging more spacecraft.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of destroying

Verb

Caleb Flynn, the former American Idol contestant who was found guilty of murdering his wife, Ashley Flynn, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

— Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 5 Oct. 2026
The former American Idol contestant and church worship leader convicted of murdering his wife and staging the scene to look like a burglary was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Monday.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of murdering

Verb

This park is the result of the Tompkins’ passion for this part of the world and their desire to rewild this part of Chile that had been overfarmed and overgrazed to the point of almost eradicating its native flora and fauna.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Community meetings focus on eradicating the homeless and protecting property values rather than supporting neighbors or providing shelter.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of eradicating

Verb

As wet electrodes get thicker, the liquid binder migrates unevenly during drying, ruining the battery‘s structure.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2026
Seaver also allegedly threatened to start a podcast dedicated to ruining Parton’s image unless he was paid.

— Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of ruining

Verb

Tyler Robinson, the man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk, will stand trial after a Utah judge ruled Tuesday that prosecutors presented enough evidence to move forward on all seven charges against him.

— Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Ferrell instead starred as the villainous mogul Jacobim Mugatu, who attempts to brainwash Derek into assassinating the prime minister of Malaysia.

— Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026

Definition of assassinating

Verb

Karlsson was ruled offside after a review, erasing Egor Chinakhov’s work of art.

— Josh Yohe, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
This component's other skills include locating large files and folders, locating empty files, irretrievably erasing drives (other than the boot drive), uninstalling apps, and defragmenting disks and the registry.

— Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of erasing

Verb

This is not the first time a coach in LAUSD has gotten into trouble trying to improve a facility, with the district issuing disciplinary action and demolishing the improvement because it was not authorized.

— Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
On Thursday, the judge ordered the Kennedy Center to provide 30 days' notice before making any major physical changes to the building, including demolishing it.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of demolishing

Verb

The Federal Reserve's recent interest rate hike means higher borrowing costs for consumers carrying credit card balances or taking out loans.

— Joshua Sidorowicz, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026
During the interaction, as the store’s other employees were taking out the trash, the girl was able to leave the store when Malcolm opened the door for them, WDTV reported.

— Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of taking out

Cite this Entry

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“Rubbing out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbing%20out. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of rubbing out

verb

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