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Difference between Scrub something off and Scrub something out

scrub something off—(also: scrub something away) remove smth. by scrubbing:

  • I got paint on my hands and I can’t scrub it off.

scrub something out

1. = scrub something off:

  • When you spill ink on the carpet, remove it straight away—you won’t be able to scrub it out later.

2. clean smth. thoroughly by rubbing the surface:

  • As soon as they moved in, they started scrubbing out the rooms.

3. draw a line through a writing so that it cannot be read:

  • Scrub out that last part of the message, the wording is not very polite.