eliminate

verb

elim·​i·​nate i-ˈli-mə-ˌnāt 

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

i-ˈli-mə-ˌnā-tiv 

adjective

eliminator

i-ˈli-mə-ˌnā-tər 

noun

Synonyms of eliminate

• exclude
• prevent
• ban
• prohibit

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

Scotland may have underwhelmed at the recent World Cup, being eliminated in the group phase, but McTominay was the nation’s poster boy in the weeks leading up to the tournament. — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026

In a June Facebook post, Patel said the FBI's ramped-up efforts to find fraudsters was part of a White House task force to eliminate fraud headed by Vice President JD Vance. — Josh Meyer, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026

But five first-round draft choices eliminated for the Clippers, a team that was already acquiring draft picks in an obvious rebuild! — Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026

One important point is that photonic chips do not necessarily eliminate electronics. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026

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

Rhymes for eliminate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

Kids Definition

eliminate

verb

elim·​i·​nate i-ˈlim-ə-ˌnāt 

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

-ˌnāt-iv 

adjective

eliminator

-ˌnāt-ər 

noun

Medical Definition

eliminate

transitive verb

elim·​i·​nate -ˌnāt 

eliminated; eliminating

: to expel (as waste) from the living body