annihilate

verb

an·​ni·​hi·​late ə-ˈnī-ə-ˌlāt How to pronounce annihilate (audio)
annihilated; annihilating

transitive verb

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

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 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The dawn of the cable age blew up those distinctions, of course, and then the streaming revolution annihilated it. Michael Schneider, Variety, 7 Aug. 2025 KPop Demon Hunters is annihilating records while inspiring us to ponder surprisingly philosophical questions. Amy Sterling, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025 Trump has been criticizing any suggestion that the U.S. strike on Iranian nuclear facilities did anything but annihilate them. Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 28 June 2025 No longer content to accuse Jews of killing individuals, the world now accuses the Jewish state of attempting to annihilate an entire population. Avi Weiss, New York Daily News, 10 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for annihilate

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin annihilatus, past participle of annihilare to reduce to nothing, from Latin ad- + nihil nothing — more at nil

First Known Use

1525, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2a

Time Traveler
The first known use of annihilate was in 1525

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Annihilate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/annihilate. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

annihilate

verb
an·​ni·​hi·​late ə-ˈnī-ə-ˌlāt How to pronounce annihilate (audio)
annihilated; annihilating
: to destroy completely
annihilation noun
annihilator noun

More from Merriam-Webster on annihilate

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