1
as in to eradicate
to destroy all traces of
the family's attempts to annihilate the roach population in their apartment had met with little success
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to destroy
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
the tornado simply annihilated the family's home
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to overcome
to defeat by a large margin
we didn't just win; we absolutely annihilated them!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of annihilate
The two annihilate each other, releasing energy into the cosmos.
—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
21 June 2026
Matter is so dominant in our universe that any antimatter typically encounters matter quickly and annihilates.
—
Quanta Magazine,
15 June 2026
Small black ants are generally harmless, but a colony of leafcutter ants can annihilate food crops, and aggressive fire ants build huge mounds and deliver a painful sting when disturbed.
—
Barbara Gillette,
The Spruce,
10 June 2026
This sequence of events used to occur regularly in the US and Central America; screwworm was endemic here but was eradicated after a concerted, decades-long campaign to annihilate its populations.
—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for annihilate
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
21 June 2026
Matter is so dominant in our universe that any antimatter typically encounters matter quickly and annihilates.
—
Quanta Magazine,
15 June 2026
Small black ants are generally harmless, but a colony of leafcutter ants can annihilate food crops, and aggressive fire ants build huge mounds and deliver a painful sting when disturbed.
—
Barbara Gillette,
The Spruce,
10 June 2026
This sequence of events used to occur regularly in the US and Central America; screwworm was endemic here but was eradicated after a concerted, decades-long campaign to annihilate its populations.
—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for annihilate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for annihilate
Verb
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Incomplete or inappropriate antibiotic courses amplify this effect by exposing bacteria to sub-therapeutic drug concentrations without eradicating them.
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Building new sterile fly production facilities in the Southwest helped eradicate the flies in that region too, and by 1966, the US was declared officially screwworm-free.
Verb
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National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, the brother of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, said on Sunday that more than 12,000 people have been displaced by the earthquakes and 774 buildings have been damaged or destroyed, including hospitals.
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There's nothing more quintessential to being a kid than playing Little League baseball, but on July Fourth, 2025, along with so much more, the Little League fields of Hill Country were destroyed, along with the innocence of thousands of kids who live here.
Verb
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Rather than be benched, Devers batted cleanup, overcame an 0-for-3 start, and singled up the middle in the seventh to score Bryce Eldridge, who narrowly beat a tag at the plate for a 3-1 lead.
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Its highly specialized strategy likely evolved to take advantage of the ant’s natural aggression and then overcome its defenses; the slingshot mechanism flings the ant from the foraging trail, reducing the risk that the spider will be swarmed by other workers, the researchers hypothesized.
Verb
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By the time the boundary issues were partially corrected in the 1960s, both the cemetery and the surrounding Black community had been largely erased from public memory.
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Still, state environmental officials and weather experts say the rainfall deficits dating back to last fall have not been completely erased.
Verb
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Nationally, many facilities of that time have since been demolished as housing policies evolved, but New Britain’s housing authority kept the roughly 250-unit Mount Pleasant and now operates it as its oldest property.
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Ryan Blank, who lives in the Manor Avenue neighborhood, hung out with his neighbors across the street from the house that got demolished by a tree.
Verb
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Despite the lack of goals, the game was exciting with end-to-end runs and missed chances that left fans of both teams groaning and burying their heads in their hands.
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After receiving a pass in the right side of the box, Dembélé very patiently made his way to his left before burying yet another left-footed strike into the goal.
Verb
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Avila Chevalier survived a deluge of attacks for previous social media posts that called for abolishing the police and prisons.
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Earlier this month, the bloc also released more information about its own plans for abolishing its de minimis exemption on June 30.
Verb
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Porsha deflects, saying Drew ruined the mood.
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Explosions had all but ruined my hearing.
Cite this Entry
“Annihilate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/annihilate. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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