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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Streaming the first Avatar sequel on Disney+ just doesn’t compare to watching Payakan leap out of the ocean and annihilate the bad guys’ boat (and that one dude’s arm) in glorious 3-D on a gigantic screen.
—
Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2025
As a result, Israel preserved its existence without annihilating vast opposition forces.
—Andriy Zagorodnyuk, Foreign Affairs, 23 Sep. 2025
Now is the time to wage war, not through aimless violence, but with a legal and rational crackdown on the forces that are desperately trying to annihilate our nation.
—Brooke L. Rollins, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Sense-annihilating dreck has become a generational identity that these kids can claim as their own.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for annihilate
Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2025
As a result, Israel preserved its existence without annihilating vast opposition forces.
—Andriy Zagorodnyuk, Foreign Affairs, 23 Sep. 2025
Now is the time to wage war, not through aimless violence, but with a legal and rational crackdown on the forces that are desperately trying to annihilate our nation.
—Brooke L. Rollins, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Sense-annihilating dreck has become a generational identity that these kids can claim as their own.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for annihilate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for annihilate
Verb
-
His replacement, Nuno Espirito Santo, is another pragmatist, but West Ham’s performances had been so muddled as to eradicate hope, the nadir being a 2-0 home defeat by Brentford in which the hosts, despite the cost of their squad, already resembled a Championship team.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Organizers are unrolling multiple methods for eradicating these issues in 2026.—
Katie Bain,
Billboard,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
So, automation can be used to destroy labor or workers’ power, but it can also be used in the opposite direction.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Homes, businesses and synagogues were destroyed.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Among those highlighted will be Amanda, a refugee and the first Miss Trans Global Uganda; Sarah, who overcame sight loss to support LGBTQ+ people with disabilities while running marathons; and Leo, a speaker and life coach with dyskinetic cerebral palsy.—
Sophie Williams,
Billboard,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Fortunately, modern nandina cultivars like 'Lemon-Lime' from the Southern Living Plant Collection have been bred to overcome these problems.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The drop in SoftBank shares has erased nearly $50 billion in market cap over two days.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
-
These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
During the closure, crews will demolish the Lister Avenue Bridge and the pedestrian bridge at Oakley Avenue over I-70.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The military showed us a map of Hamas tunnel routes Israeli forces are still discovering and demolishing in the area.—
Daniel Estrin,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
There is no dignity, and no justice, in a system that buries an elderly woman alive in silence.—
Kim Aris,
Time,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Researchers at Queen Mary University of London and University College London have found that humans can detect objects buried in sand without directly touching them.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
For more than 100 years, enslaved people lived and labored in the colonies, but after the Revolutionary War, northern states eventually abolished most forms of enslavement by the early 1800s, led by Vermont in 1777.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Trump has spent the last week-plus pressuring Republicans to abolish the filibuster to end the government shutdown, now the longest in history, through a simple majority vote in the Senate.—
Christian Datoc,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
11 Nov. 2025
-
So, no, women didn’t ruin the workplace.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Annihilate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/annihilate. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share