rub out
[verb]
Synonyms: erase, cancel, delete, efface, obliterate, remove, wipe out

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English Thesaurus: delete, cut, cross something out, rub something out, erase, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

rub something/somebody ↔ out phrasal verb (see also rub)

1. British English to remove writing, a picture etc from a surface by rubbing it with a piece of rubber, a cloth etc Synonym : erase:
Draw the outline lightly with a soft pencil. This can be rubbed out later.

2. American English old-fashioned informal to murder someone

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

delete to remove something that has been written down or stored in a computer:
I think you should delete the second paragraph.
You can delete any files that are no longer required.
cut to remove a section from a piece of writing or a film:
You’ll have to cut some of your essay if it’s over 1,500 words.
A couple of scenes had to be cut because they were too violent.
cross something out to draw a line through a word to show that it was a mistake or that you want to change what you have written:
If you make a mistake in the exam, just cross it out.
I’ve crossed out the names of people who can’t come.
rub something out British English, erase American English to remove writing or pictures from paper with a rubber, or from a board with a cloth:
Use a pencil so you can rub out your mistakes.
I had to rub the whole thing out and start again.
erase to remove sounds or pictures that have been recorded on a machine:
You can erase the tape or record over it.
Somehow all my photographs had been erased.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

rub out
rub (someone) out
to kill someone.
She got into serious trouble when she ran an ad that said, “Looking for someone to rub out your Ex?” as a joke.

Usage notes: generally used when referring to criminals who employ someone to kill an enemy

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

rub out
• rub out (someone or something)
to destroy something completely, to kill/eliminate someone
The government troops rubbed out the entire village.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

rub out something
• rub out (someone or something)
to destroy something completely, to kill/eliminate someone
The government troops rubbed out the entire village.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

rub out
v., slang To destroy completely; kill; eliminate.
The gangsters rubbed out four policemen before they were caught.
The gangsters told the storekeeper that if he did not pay them to protect him, someone would rub him out.
Compare: WIPE OUT, RID OF.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲