diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 5ba08fd59b..8a542ea5aa 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -118,29 +118,29 @@ install-man: $(MANPAGES)
 uninstall: uninstall-progs uninstall-data uninstall-man
 
 uninstall-progs:
-	rm -f $(addprefix "$(BINDIR)/", $(ALLPROGS))
+	$(RM) $(addprefix "$(BINDIR)/", $(ALLPROGS))
 
 uninstall-data:
-	rm -rf "$(DATADIR)"
+	$(RM) -r "$(DATADIR)"
 
 uninstall-man:
-	rm -f $(addprefix "$(MANDIR)/man1/",$(ALLMANPAGES))
+	$(RM) $(addprefix "$(MANDIR)/man1/",$(ALLMANPAGES))
 
 testclean:
-	rm -rf tests/vsynth1 tests/vsynth2 tests/data
-	rm -f $(addprefix tests/,$(CLEANSUFFIXES))
-	rm -f tests/seek_test$(EXESUF) tests/seek_test.o
-	rm -f $(addprefix tests/,$(addsuffix $(HOSTEXESUF),audiogen videogen rotozoom tiny_psnr))
+	$(RM) -r tests/vsynth1 tests/vsynth2 tests/data
+	$(RM) $(addprefix tests/,$(CLEANSUFFIXES))
+	$(RM) tests/seek_test$(EXESUF) tests/seek_test.o
+	$(RM) $(addprefix tests/,$(addsuffix $(HOSTEXESUF),audiogen videogen rotozoom tiny_psnr))
 
 clean:: testclean
-	rm -f $(ALLPROGS) $(ALLPROGS_G)
-	rm -f $(CLEANSUFFIXES)
-	rm -f doc/*.html doc/*.pod doc/*.1
-	rm -f $(TOOLS)
+	$(RM) $(ALLPROGS) $(ALLPROGS_G)
+	$(RM) $(CLEANSUFFIXES)
+	$(RM) doc/*.html doc/*.pod doc/*.1
+	$(RM) $(TOOLS)
 
 distclean::
-	rm -f $(DISTCLEANSUFFIXES)
-	rm -f version.h config.* libavutil/avconfig.h
+	$(RM) $(DISTCLEANSUFFIXES)
+	$(RM) version.h config.* libavutil/avconfig.h
 
 config:
 	$(SRC_PATH)/configure $(value FFMPEG_CONFIGURATION)
diff --git a/subdir.mak b/subdir.mak
index 2448950630..ea91f3fe2d 100644
--- a/subdir.mak
+++ b/subdir.mak
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ all: $(SUBDIR)$(LIBNAME)
 install-libs: install-lib$(NAME)-static
 
 $(SUBDIR)$(LIBNAME): $(OBJS)
-	rm -f $@
+	$(RM) $@
 	$(AR) rc $@ $^ $(EXTRAOBJS)
 	$(RANLIB) $@
 endif
@@ -35,12 +35,12 @@ $(SUBDIR)x86/%.o: $(SUBDIR)x86/%.asm
 	$(YASM) $(YASMFLAGS) -I $$(<D)/ -o $$@ $$<
 
 clean::
-	rm -f $(addprefix $(SUBDIR),*-example$(EXESUF) *-test$(EXESUF) $(CLEANFILES) $(CLEANSUFFIXES) $(LIBSUFFIXES)) \
+	$(RM) $(addprefix $(SUBDIR),*-example$(EXESUF) *-test$(EXESUF) $(CLEANFILES) $(CLEANSUFFIXES) $(LIBSUFFIXES)) \
 	    $(addprefix $(SUBDIR), $(foreach suffix,$(CLEANSUFFIXES),$(addsuffix /$(suffix),$(DIRS)))) \
 	    $(HOSTOBJS) $(HOSTPROGS)
 
 distclean:: clean
-	rm -f  $(addprefix $(SUBDIR),$(DISTCLEANSUFFIXES)) \
+	$(RM)  $(addprefix $(SUBDIR),$(DISTCLEANSUFFIXES)) \
             $(addprefix $(SUBDIR), $(foreach suffix,$(DISTCLEANSUFFIXES),$(addsuffix /$(suffix),$(DIRS))))
 
 ifdef CONFIG_SHARED
@@ -86,15 +86,15 @@ endif
 	install -m 644 $(BUILD_ROOT)/lib$(NAME)/lib$(NAME).pc "$(LIBDIR)/pkgconfig"
 
 uninstall-libs::
-	-rm -f "$(SHLIBDIR)/$(SLIBNAME_WITH_MAJOR)" \
+	-$(RM) "$(SHLIBDIR)/$(SLIBNAME_WITH_MAJOR)" \
 	       "$(SHLIBDIR)/$(SLIBNAME)"            \
 	       "$(SHLIBDIR)/$(SLIBNAME_WITH_VERSION)"
 	-$(SLIB_UNINSTALL_EXTRA_CMD)
-	-rm -f "$(LIBDIR)/$(LIBNAME)"
+	-$(RM) "$(LIBDIR)/$(LIBNAME)"
 
 uninstall-headers::
-	rm -f $(addprefix "$(INCINSTDIR)/",$(HEADERS))
-	rm -f "$(LIBDIR)/pkgconfig/lib$(NAME).pc"
+	$(RM) $(addprefix "$(INCINSTDIR)/",$(HEADERS))
+	$(RM) "$(LIBDIR)/pkgconfig/lib$(NAME).pc"
 	-rmdir "$(INCDIR)"
 endef