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
If Neptune did have an original set of moons that more closely resembled those of its planetary neighbors, the arrival of Triton — which is just smaller than our own moon — would have wreaked havoc, crashing into the other satellites and annihilating some of them.
—
Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 20 May 2026
Now southern Republicans are annihilating Black political power.
—Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026
Instead, it is filled with a froth of virtual particles becoming real in pairs, waving to us, annihilating each other, and sinking back into the soup of virtual particles.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 15 May 2026
Unfortunately, any of the giant armada of smaller objects tens of meters wide is still large enough to annihilate Beijing, Lagos, or New York – objects such as the one that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia in 2013 – and those are far harder to detect.
—New Atlas, 10 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for annihilate
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Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 20 May 2026
Now southern Republicans are annihilating Black political power.
—Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026
Instead, it is filled with a froth of virtual particles becoming real in pairs, waving to us, annihilating each other, and sinking back into the soup of virtual particles.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 15 May 2026
Unfortunately, any of the giant armada of smaller objects tens of meters wide is still large enough to annihilate Beijing, Lagos, or New York – objects such as the one that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia in 2013 – and those are far harder to detect.
—New Atlas, 10 May 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 May. 2026.
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