annihilate

verb

ə-ˈnī-ə-ˌlāt How to pronounce annihilate (audio)
Definition of annihilatenext
1
as in to eradicate
to destroy all traces of the family's attempts to annihilate the roach population in their apartment had met with little success

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to destroy
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of the tornado simply annihilated the family's home

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to overcome
to defeat by a large margin we didn't just win; we absolutely annihilated them!

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of annihilate But they were annihilated 140-89, in the playoff elimination loss. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 27 July 2026 And that’s a lot of energy to shed as a vehicle comes blaring back into Earth’s thick atmosphere, a process that typically annihilates objects returning from space unless they are precisely designed to survive the trip. — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 16 July 2026 The rift between the haves and have-nots is growing, and there seems to be a growing trend to annihilate people of color. — Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 4 July 2026 Instead, El Fasher was annihilated. — Janine Di Giovanni, Vanity Fair, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for annihilate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for annihilate
  1. eradicate
  2. destroy
  3. overcome
  4. erase
  5. demolish
  6. bury
  7. abolish
  8. ruin
Verb
  • Tlaib is also a prominent critic of Israel; her rhetoric has been chastised by Jewish colleagues as an antisemitic call for eradicating Jews, a charge the congresswoman and her supporters reject.
    — Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Smallpox, which was eradicated in 1980 and no longer naturally circulates, was once one of the world's deadliest diseases.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of eradicate
Verb
  • Vendors said enforcement sweeps that began earlier this year have threatened their livelihoods, with authorities confiscating vending equipment and, in some cases, destroying it.
    — Da Lin, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • One of those, the USS Gerald R Ford, also reported problems earlier this year, from toilets that weren’t working to a laundry fire that briefly stopped combat operations and destroyed some sleeping quarters.
    — Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of destroy
Verb
  • Prosecutors will have to overcome a few key hurdles in their case.
    — Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Four firefighters were killed and a fifth was injured after they were overcome by a fast-moving wildfire in Colorado, near the Utah border, in June.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of overcome
Verb
  • Their efforts have successfully erased half the population from public life and made Afghanistan one of the world’s most dangerous places to be a woman.
    — Kara Fox, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
  • But what frightened me most was not death alone, but the idea of dying before my writings reached the world—that my story would disappear with me, and that my feelings, my memories, my identity, and my human experience would be erased.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of erase
Verb
  • The only option to build the facility was to demolish the Trojans’ longtime baseball field and displace the program for multiple seasons.
    — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
  • What else might be demolished in Crown Center for the ballpark district remains unclear.
    — Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of demolish
Verb
  • But buried inside imperfect delivery is often an important standard.
    — Mark Nevins, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
  • But that’s a small, technical point buried in the fine print.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of bury
Verb
  • Some members sought to amend the resolution to call for reforming ICE rather than abolishing it.
    — Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Hong branded herself as a fighter for the working class, advocated for universal childcare and called to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
    — Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of abolish
Verb
  • Campione said her campaign was focused on protecting rural lands from being annexed into cities for rural subdivisions and stopping activities that could ruin water quality or override property rights.
    — James Wilkins, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
  • But the mellow vibes are ruined when a goofy case of mistaken identity results in Frankie coming home with a briefcase containing several vials of a glowing orange goo.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of ruin

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annexing
annihilate
annihilated
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Cite this Entry

“Annihilate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/annihilate. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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