annihilate

verb

an·​ni·​hi·​late ə-ˈnī-ə-ˌlāt How to pronounce annihilate (audio)
annihilated; annihilating

transitive verb

1
a
: to cause to cease to exist : to do away with entirely so that nothing remains
b
: to destroy a considerable part of
Bombs annihilated the city.
The enemy troops were annihilated.
c
: to defeat overwhelmingly : rout
annihilated the visitors 56–0
2
a
: to cause to be of no effect : nullify
a right to freedom that cannot be annihilated
b
: to destroy the substance or force of
Fear can annihilate one's confidence.
3
: to regard as of no consequence
4
: to cause (something, such as a particle and its antiparticle) to vanish or cease to exist by coming together and changing into other forms of energy (such as photons)
matter and antimatter annihilate each other

intransitive verb

of a particle and its antiparticle : to vanish or cease to exist by coming together and changing into other forms of energy (such as photons)
annihilatory adjective

Examples of annihilate in a Sentence

The enemy troops were annihilated. He annihilated his opponent in the last election.
Recent Examples on the Web There's an odd lack of balance underpinning this last season: Three hours spent on the build-up to the showdown with the Night King, but Daenerys decides to annihilate King's Landing on what feels like a spur-of-the-moment decision. Darren Franich, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024 Denver had four more blocks and annihilated the Heat on the boards, 232-188, which was no surprise considering: A). Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2024 One home was annihilated, five others severely damaged. Katya Soldak, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Of course, this is the sort of view that, taken to its logical end, can annihilate the meaning of any event. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024 As a result, she's swept into the high-stakes political workings of the different High Lords of the land, falls in love, and works to stop a war that could annihilate all her fellow humans. Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 12 Feb. 2024 Central to this argument is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s use of the Biblical legend of Amalek, a mythical nation that wanted to annihilate the Hebrew people. Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 7 Feb. 2024 But when its intense gravity inevitably draws them to venture too close, they will probably be annihilated. Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 7 Dec. 2023 In that case, ancient humans sped up the extinction of Neanderthals not by annihilating them, but by reproducing with them. Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 21 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'annihilate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin annihilatus, past participle of annihilare to reduce to nothing, from Latin ad- + nihil nothing — more at nil

First Known Use

1525, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2a

Time Traveler
The first known use of annihilate was in 1525

Dictionary Entries Near annihilate

Cite this Entry

“Annihilate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/annihilate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

annihilate

verb
an·​ni·​hi·​late ə-ˈnī-ə-ˌlāt How to pronounce annihilate (audio)
annihilated; annihilating
: to destroy completely
annihilation noun
annihilator noun

More from Merriam-Webster on annihilate

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