annihilate

verb

an·ni·hi·late ə-ˈnī-ə-ˌlāt

annihilated; annihilating

Synonyms of annihilate next

transitive verb

: to cause to cease to exist : to do away with entirely so that nothing remains

: to destroy a considerable part of

Bombs annihilated the city.

The enemy troops were annihilated.

: to defeat overwhelmingly : rout

annihilated the visitors 56–0

: to cause to be of no effect : nullify

a right to freedom that cannot be annihilated

: to destroy the substance or force of

Fear can annihilate one's confidence.

: to regard as of no consequence

: 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

ə-ˈnī-ə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē

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 As far as the experimental looks, Coco Jones annihilated the red carpet in a Moschino all-leather look. —

Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 13 Sep. 2023 The Patriots’ defense with the help of Judon will annihilate. —

Daniel Kohn, Spin, 6 Sep. 2023 The Nazis wanted to erase the Jews and annihilate their civilization. —

Douglas Starr, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Aug. 2023 Without it, we will all be annihilated, sisters and brothers. —

Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Sep. 2023 At the Aina Nalu condos in Lahaina, a group of people in a swimming pool watch as massive flames annihilate the surrounding buildings, according to video recorded at the scene. —

Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 15 Aug. 2023 For over a century, weapons have been lethal enough that armies who mass exposed forces in the open have suffered annihilating loss rates. —

Stephen Biddle, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2023 In fierce fighting, Ukrainian forces annihilated the Russian invasion force. —

Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 11 July 2023 The Bay tells the (fake) story of a seaside town that was annihilated by a parasite and the coverup that followed. —

Samantha Olson, Seventeen, 14 June 2023 See More

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.