rubout 1 of 2

noun

Definition of ruboutnext
as in murder
the intentional and unlawful taking of another person's life the mafia boss ordered a rubout as casually as you might order a pizza

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

rub out

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to destroy
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of aerial bombs rubbed out the oil refinery

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to assassinate
to put to death deliberately an elaborate setup to rub out rival mobsters

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to eradicate
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 rubout
Noun
Investigators suspect Robinson wanted the rubout. — Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
Verb
The News started a morning edition to rub out its competitor. — Tim Kiska, Detroit Free Press, 21 Dec. 2024 Apply additional pressure while attempting to rub out these stains, but don't go crazy. — Gia Yetikyel, Vogue, 31 Aug. 2024 See All Example Sentences for rubout
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rubout
  1. murder
  2. destroy
  3. assassinate
  4. eradicate
  5. homicide
  6. ruin
  7. slay
  8. erase
Noun
  • The boy was booked into Placer County Juvenile Hall on suspicion of murder, Gaines said.
    — Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Three men in Mexico received 158-year prison sentences Friday for the murders of Australian surfers Callum and Jake Robinson and their American friend Carter Redd Rhoad.
    — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of murder
Verb
  • Cities outside Paris have been hit hard by the unrest, including Limoges where a fire nearly destroyed the 19th-century city hall.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Animal diseases also threaten our economy and food system, destroying more than 20% of global livestock production each year.
    — Robert Kelly, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of destroy
Verb
  • Riehle made it to Broadway in 1986 with a role in the Emily Mann drama Execution of Justice, which centered on the trial of Dan White, who assassinated San Francisco mayor George Moscone and city supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978.
    — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Earlier that year, King had been assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.
    — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of assassinate
Verb
  • The campaign that originally eradicated screwworm relied on what’s known as the sterile insect technique.
    — Robert Kelly, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Stoett argues that if a market is used to encourage removal, the commercial activity should exist because the species needs to be reduced, contained, or eradicated—not because the goal is to establish a sustainable fishery for that species.
    — Victoria Malloy, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of eradicate
Noun
  • An affidavit prepared by a Fort Worth Police Department homicide detective outlines the circumstances that law enforcement authorities believe support Henton’s arrest for murder, the offense on suspicion of which he was arrested on Friday.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Trump is correct that the United States has seen historic plunges in homicide, violent crime, robbery and property crime.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of homicide
Verb
  • Burdick seemed to have drawn directly from McCarthy’s experience, the hopelessness of fighting with his father over a world his father had already ruined, the surrender to indulgence and mindless violence because…why not?
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Each room is also outfitted with a Yale smart lock, which means there’s no room for that horrible feeling of losing a room key to ruin your vacation.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of ruin
Verb
  • The kind of beast Riley and the Trojans have struggled to slay.
    — Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
  • My Morning Jacket has now earned their own history in the room, with a total of 18 shows played and slayed.
    — Benjy Eisen, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of slay
Verb
  • Credit stress at CoreWeave, concerns over corporate AI spending and another hot inflation report erased more than $1 trillion from 20 of the world's largest AI and semiconductor stocks this week.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
  • His apprehension turned into anger when the city’s Department of Transportation erased the DIY crosswalks two months later.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of erase

Browse Nearby Words

rubicund
rubout
rub out
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rubout.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubout. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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