rubout

[ ruhb-out ]

/ ˈrʌbˌaʊt /

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See synonyms for: rubout / rubouts on Thesaurus.com

noun Slang.

a murder or assassination.

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QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

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IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

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Origin of rubout

1925–30, Americanism; noun use of verb phrase rub out

Words nearby rubout

Rublyov, ruboff, rub off on, rub one's hands, rubor, rubout, rubredoxin, rubriblast, rubric, rubrical, rubricate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use rubout in a sentence

It looks as though somebody put somebody on the spot for a rubout.
"And That's How It Was, Officer"|Ralph Sholto

British Dictionary definitions for rubout

rub out

verb (tr, adverb)

to remove or be removed with a rubber

US slang to murder

Australian rules football to suspend (a player)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with rubout

rub out

Obliterate or erase by, or as if by, rubbing. For example, Bill was so busy rubbing out the old markings that he forgot to put in new ones. [Mid-1600s]

Murder, kill, as in They threatened to rub him out if he didn't pay up. [Slang; mid-1800s]