rubout

[ ruhb-out ]

noun

, Slang.

1. a murder or assassination.

Word History and Origins

Origin of rubout¹

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

Example Sentences

Anthony spends time making house calls with Harold Edmond, an exterminator with the city’s “rat rubout” program, who says you will find rats in places where people have the least education and the fewest resources — “no dreams, no aspirations, just surviving.”

From New York Times

“It was murder. … It was a rubout,” Gapay said Tuesday at a Manila airbase where the bodies of three of the soldiers were flown.

From Washington Times

“It was murder. … It was a rubout,” Gapay said Tuesday at a Manila airbase where the bodies of three of the soldiers were flown.

From Seattle Times

A woman in a blonde wig opened fire in a busy Mexico City restaurant this week, killing two alleged Israeli mobsters in what police suspect was a gangland rubout, according to reports.

From Fox News

Notorious gangster Al Capone’s Chicago home went on the market for a steal this week, coinciding with the 90th anniversary of the infamous mob rubout known as the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.

From Fox News

Related Words

• assassination
• bumping off
• foul play
• hit
• killing
• murder
• offing