rubbing out

present participle of rub out
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
3

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
  • Or tech companies forcing regular people to foot the electricity bills for their environment-destroying data centers!
    Rebekah Taussig, Time, 7 July 2026
  • Many older interceptor missiles use blast-fragmentation warheads, detonating near the incoming missile and destroying it with high-speed metal fragments.
    Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 6 July 2026
Verb
  • It’s been over three decades since Wood was convicted of murdering six young women and girls and burying their bodies near El Paso – crimes for which he was nicknamed the Desert Killer.
    Irenie Forshaw, TheWeek, 1 July 2026
  • Ciarre Campbell, brother of veteran NFL lineman Calais Campbell, has been charged with murdering their 71-year-old mother, Nateal, inside her Atlanta home.
    Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Verb
  • When William and his brother, Prince Harry, were young boys, the former Princess of Wales would regularly take them to homeless shelters, and eradicating homelessness has become a cornerstone of the future king’s royal work.
    Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 30 June 2026
  • The path through impostor syndrome is not about eradicating the doubt.
    Karyn Gallant, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Verb
  • After all, plenty of cocktail enthusiasts already complain about mosquitoes ruining a summer evening.
    Emily Price, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • The company was saving a few bucks but ruining its product.
    Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 25 June 2026
Verb
  • The 23-year-old man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University will be in court this week for the most substantial hearing so far in his murder case.
    ABC News, ABC News, 5 July 2026
  • Since the start of the war in 2022, Ukrainian military intelligence ‌has claimed responsibility ​for assassinating several senior Russian ‌officers, some of whom have ​appeared on a public list of Ukraine’s enemies.
    Reuters, NBC news, 10 June 2026
Verb
  • The birthright citizenship ruling was a win for democracy — and a warning about erasing history, argues columnist Anita Chabria.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
  • Love is the capacity to hold difference without fragmentation, to bring parts into relationship without erasing their uniqueness and to align intelligence with constructive becoming.
    Pravir Malik, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Verb
  • SoCal’s housing market growth SpaceX’s record-shattering IPO has unleashed a wave of high-end home shoppers poised to reshape Southern California’s already tight coastal housing markets.
    Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
  • At the very least, the attacks have brought the war home even more poignantly for millions of Russians, shattering Putin’s narrative of the conflict as something that doesn’t affect the lives of ordinary people in his country.
    ABC News, ABC News, 4 July 2026
Verb
  • Progressive candidates also prevailed in state legislative races Tuesday night, taking out two incumbents.
    Shaun Boyd, CBS News, 2 July 2026
  • Importantly, these new repayment plan options only apply to students taking out new loans, at least for the next two years.
    Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 1 July 2026

Cite this Entry

“Rubbing out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbing%20out. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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