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

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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

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

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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
  • Karmelo Anthony, now 19, was convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years in prison after a Collin County jury in June rejected his claims of self-defense during a confrontation with Austin Metcalf in the stadium bleachers last year.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is once again seeking to overturn his state murder conviction in the 2020 killing of George Floyd, according to court documents filed Tuesday.
    — Riley Moser, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of murder
Verb
  • The Inwood Fire Department said dozens of cabanas were damaged or destroyed at the Sun and Surf Beach Club in Atlantic Beach.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • In Solomianskyi district, the top two floors of a 9-story residential building were destroyed and fires broke out on other floors.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of destroy
Verb
  • The congregation was the organizing place for the sanitation workers’ strike that brought King to town in March 1968, weeks before he was assassinated there.
    — Jason Wollschleger, The Conversation, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Kennedy, who was born after her father was assassinated, credits not only him but her whole family with inspiring her.
    — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of assassinate
Verb
  • Golden mussels can eradicate fish populations and erode delta habitats, and California farmers could lose their water.
    — Ashley Sharp, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Now, there is a constant obsession over energy levels and management that has eradicated the previous ‘flat out’ approach to racing.
    — Luke Smith, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of eradicate
Noun
  • The annual homicide rate roughly doubled between 2015 and 2020, surging past 100 lives lost.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The man in the barrel was found to have been shot and was declared a homicide victim.
    — Mark Osborne, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of homicide
Verb
  • This allegedly caused the cancellation of school recesses, and also ruining weddings and funerals.
    — Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Shane loves Ilya, but fears going public will ruin their careers.
    — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of ruin
Verb
  • No two tales of what happened to Maelor after his knight protector was shot dead agree, but the young boy was also slain on the bridge, perhaps torn apart by the mob who assailed him, arguing over what to do with the young prince.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The Manson murders spawned at least one copycat slaying in February 1970, The New York Times reported.
    — Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of slay
Verb
  • Their efforts have successfully erased half the population from public life and made Afghanistan one of the world’s most dangerous places to be a woman.
    — Kara Fox, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
  • But what frightened me most was not death alone, but the idea of dying before my writings reached the world—that my story would disappear with me, and that my feelings, my memories, my identity, and my human experience would be erased.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of erase

Browse Nearby Words

rubicund
rubout
rub out
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Cite this Entry

“Rubout.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubout. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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