elimination

noun

elim·​i·​na·​tion i-ˌli-mə-ˈnā-shən 

often attributive

: the act, process, or an instance of eliminating or discharging: such as

a

: the act of discharging or excreting waste products from the body

b

: the removal from a molecule of the constituents of a simpler molecule

ethylene is formed by the elimination of water from ethanol

compare addition sense 4

Examples of elimination in a Sentence

the elimination of waste products from the body

Recent Examples on the Web

General manager Dan Morgan has volunteered that outlook regularly since the team’s elimination from the playoffs in mid-January. —Mike Kaye march 3, Charlotte Observer, 3 Mar. 2026

Watch master sommeliers get competitive, pouring wine flights for audience members in a March Madness-style elimination event that will end in one contestant taking home top honors. —Nora Heston Tarte, Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2026

An international meeting to determine the status of measles elimination in the United States has been delayed seven months, from its original date in mid-April until sometime in November. —Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 2 Mar. 2026

The process will be documented on the new show Bachelor Mansion Takeover (premiering March 2 on HGTV), a competition series that features 12 Bachelor-world alumni who swap their roses for paintbrushes to redesign the iconic mansion in elimination-style challenges. —Hadley Hall Meares, Architectural Digest, 2 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1631, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing elimination

• process of elimination

Rhymes for elimination

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration

Kids Definition

elimination

noun

elim·​i·​na·​tion i-ˌlim-ə-ˈnā-shən 

: the act or process of eliminating or emptying: as

a

: the act of excreting or emptying waste products from the body

b

: the act or process of excluding from a match, game, or contest the losers of any round or heat

Medical Definition

elimination

noun

elim·​i·​na·​tion i-ˌlim-ə-ˈnā-shən 

1

: the act of discharging or excreting waste products or foreign substances from the body

2

eliminations plural : bodily discharges including urine, feces, and vomit

3

: the removal from a molecule of the constituents of a simpler molecule

ethylene is formed by the elimination of water from ethanol