Definition of annihilate
annihilated
;annihilating
transitive verb
1a : to cause to cease to exist : to do away with entirely so that nothing remainsb : 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
2a : to cause to be of no effect : nullify a right to freedom that cannot be annihilatedb : 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)
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Recent Examples of annihilate from the Web
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Unlike the Soviet Union, North Korea can’t annihilate the United States.
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Unlike the Soviet Union, North Korea can’t annihilate the United States.
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President Kevin was part of a scheme to annihilate humanity.
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Cornell was an instrumental figure in the grunge community of the early nineties, which has since been virtually annihilated by suicide and drug addiction.
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The Americans annihilated the Iraqis in 22 minutes.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'annihilate'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of annihilate
Late Latin annihilatus, past participle of annihilare to reduce to nothing, from Latin ad- + nihil nothing — more at nil
First Known Use: 1525
ANNIHILATE Defined for Kids
annihilate
playDefinition of annihilate for Students
annihilated
;annihilating
: to destroy completely
annihilation
\-ˌnī-ə-ˈlā-shən\ nounLearn More about annihilate
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See words that rhyme with annihilate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for annihilate Spanish Central: Translation of annihilate Nglish: Translation of annihilate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of annihilate for Arabic speakers
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