RUBOUT Synonyms: 232 Similar and Opposite Words

rubout 1 of 2

noun

Definition of rubout

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

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

as in to assassinate

to put to death deliberately an elaborate setup to rub out rival mobsters

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to eradicate

to destroy all traces of a promise to rub out the city's drug trade

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Noun

Burks personally prosecuted five capital murder death penalty cases during her time at the district attorney’s office.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026
The murder of two Israeli soldiers in the West Bank is the jumping-off point for a large-scale invasion of the Palestinian territory, a move that would further test the nation’s fraying relationship with the United States.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 24 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

During a retrial in 2019, one of the victims and a co-defendant testified that their previous testimony implicating Bennett was coerced by a then-homicide detective.

— CBS Philadelphia, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
Utah authorities have identified notorious serial killer Ted Bundy as the killer of 17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith, closing a homicide investigation 52 years to the day after her body was discovered.

— Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of homicide

Verb

One accidental move could ruin the attempt, requiring a correction at best, and a possible restart at worst.

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
Others have used it to remove oily stains from their toddlers like crayon marks on carpet, and one reviewer says it’s saved many of their clothes from being ruined in a household with unavoidable messes from both kids and pets.

— Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of ruin

Browse Nearby Words

rubicund

rubout

rub out

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Rubout.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubout. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of rubout

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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