rub out
verb
Simple meaning
To delete or erase or remove by rubbing.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ruhbowtSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɹʌˈbaʊt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To delete or erase or remove (something) by rubbing, especially with a rubber (eraser).
transitivecriminal slang
To kill, especially to murder.
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see rub, out.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To delete or erase or remove (something) by rubbing, especially with a rubber (eraser).
Used this way, rub out is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
Share your sentence
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “rub out” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.