1
as in destroyed
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 assassinated
to put to death deliberately
an elaborate setup to rub out rival mobsters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in eradicated
to destroy all traces of
a promise to rub out the city's drug trade
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rubbed out
No Mob boss, cheerfully decreeing that an inconvenient witness be rubbed out, could be more resolute.
—
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rubbed out
Verb
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Civilian infrastructure—roads, sewage, electricity, and municipal services—has been destroyed.—
Mohammed R. Mhawish,
New Yorker,
14 Oct. 2025
-
One police cruiser was destroyed by flames and needed to be towed away from the area, officials said.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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It's been one month since Charlie Kirk was assassinated while participating in a debate event at Utah Valley University (UVU), and still several questions remain.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
11 Oct. 2025
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The passage takes its name from Emperor Commodus, the ruthless leader who governed from 177 to 192 CE and was nearly assassinated in the underground walkway.—
Barbie Latza Nadeau,
CNN Money,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Lead poisoning, all but eradicated in the West, still harms millions of children in the developing world, with lead-acid battery recycling a key culprit.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
14 Oct. 2025
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FellinAI‘s first feature, The Sweet Idleness, imagines a world in which machines have eradicated 99% of jobs, leaving humans to a life of leisure.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Back in January, Preston remembered filming My Best Friend’s Wedding — and how an iconic scene ruined crab and lobster for her.—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
-
All the beautiful lines have been ruined.—
Sean Evans,
Robb Report,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Most American women who deal with domestic violence and are murdered, are murdered by their intimate partner.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Oct. 2025
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The Sandy Hook massacre, in which 26 people were murdered, including 20 children, generated new debate over gun violence legislation, but Congress took no action.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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After a sleepy start, the Americans came to life throughout the middle third of the game, and erased an early 1-0 deficit to end their October camp on a high note.—
Paul Tenorio,
New York Times,
15 Oct. 2025
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Many of those drivers could have stemmed or erased their losses simply by waiting for another year or two and paying off some or all of the remaining loan balance, Drury said.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Neighbors for a Better San Diego, a group that represents mostly single-family homeowners and opposes nearby higher-density development, criticized the report for not tracking how many homes get demolished to make way for new projects.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Oct. 2025
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It was finally demolished in 2008.—
Peter Carline,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Besides religion, what are other possible reasons a person might have executed a forgery?—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Oct. 2025
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As a large crowd watched, Hamas gunmen executed the men with shots to the back of the head.—
NPR,
NPR,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rubbed out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbed%20out. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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