eliminate

verb

elim·​i·​nate i-ˈli-mə-ˌnāt How to pronounce eliminate (audio)
eliminated; eliminating

transitive verb

1
a
: to put an end to or get rid of : remove
eliminate errors
b
: to remove from consideration
eliminate someone as a suspect
c
: to remove from further competition by defeating
the team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs
2
: to expel (waste) from the living body
3
mathematics : to cause to disappear by combining two or more equations
eliminate an unknown quantity

intransitive verb

: to expel waste from the living body
eliminative adjective
eliminator noun

Examples of eliminate in a Sentence

Doctors seek to eliminate the causes of the epidemic. The body naturally eliminates waste products. The company plans to eliminate more than 2,000 jobs in the coming year. She's trying to eliminate fatty foods from her diet.
Recent Examples on the Web This helps control humidity and temperature, helping eliminate weed odor. Anna Miller, Sacramento Bee, 26 Apr. 2024 Editors’ Picks There are only a few ways to eliminate emissions from power plants that burn coal. Coral Davenport, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2024 All of that is a long way from significantly limiting—much less eliminating—substances that are essentially everywhere, which is why the Ottawa conference is so important. Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 25 Apr. 2024 Shelton, who was elected to the bench in 2019, recalled a time when a prosecutor eliminated each Black panelist in a case in which the defendant also was Black. Chris Ramirez, Journal Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2024 The measure also eliminates taxes on Social Security income, lowers the statewide mill levy for schools from 20 mills to 19.5 mils and accelerates the elimination of the state sales tax on food to July 1, six months ahead of current law. Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2024 Last season, the Dragons were eliminated in the regional semifinals. Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2024 Major track change Track & field is eliminating its preliminary meets, replacing them with divisional meets. John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Apr. 2024 Last year, the Heat barely made the playoffs; Miami was almost eliminated during the play-in tournament by the lowly Chicago Bulls. Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'eliminate.' 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

Latin eliminatus, past participle of eliminare, from e- + limin-, limen threshold

First Known Use

1628, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of eliminate was in 1628

Dictionary Entries Near eliminate

Cite this Entry

“Eliminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eliminate. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

eliminate

verb
elim·​i·​nate i-ˈlim-ə-ˌnāt How to pronounce eliminate (audio)
eliminated; eliminating
1
a
: to get rid of : remove
b
: to remove from further competition by defeating
2
: to expel from the living body
eliminative adjective
eliminator noun

Medical Definition

eliminate

transitive verb
elim·​i·​nate -ˌnāt How to pronounce eliminate (audio)
eliminated; eliminating
: to expel (as waste) from the living body

More from Merriam-Webster on eliminate

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