annihilate
verb
an·ni·hi·late
ə-ˈnī-ə-ˌlāt 
annihilated; annihilating
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
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)
Examples of annihilate in a Sentence
The enemy troops were annihilated.
He annihilated his opponent in the last election.
Recent Examples on the Web
The trap confined 92 antiprotons in a vacuum, as any contact with air would annihilate them.
—
Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2026
Gautier Hamel de Monchenault, CERN director for research and computing, hailed the feat as remarkable, as antimatter is difficult to preserve and annihilates on contact with matter.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 25 Mar. 2026
And when matter and antimatter particles meet, they are mutually annihilated.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 23 Mar. 2026
The latter was to be driven from the Persian Gulf, the former to be annihilated.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for annihilate
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Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2026
Gautier Hamel de Monchenault, CERN director for research and computing, hailed the feat as remarkable, as antimatter is difficult to preserve and annihilates on contact with matter.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 25 Mar. 2026
And when matter and antimatter particles meet, they are mutually annihilated.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 23 Mar. 2026
The latter was to be driven from the Persian Gulf, the former to be annihilated.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for annihilate
Cite this Entry
“Annihilate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/annihilate. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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