annihilating

verb

present participle of annihilate
1
as in eradicating
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 destroying
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of the tornado simply annihilated the family's home

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

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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 annihilating Hell, Ella Langley has been annihilating the Billboard charts lately. — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Dark stars are hypothetical primordial stars that, rather than producing energy through nuclear fusion, are instead powered by self-annihilating dark matter within their cores. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 21 Aug. 2026 The accusation works its way through society, annihilating reputations, deservedly or not. — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026 As an arachnid alien-annihilating action game, Helldivers seems like the perfect recipe for a popcorn flick. — Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 2026 Chess is about annihilating your opponent. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 June 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for annihilating
  1. eradicating
  2. destroying
  3. overcoming
  4. erasing
  5. demolishing
  6. burying
  7. abolishing
  8. ruining
Verb
  • Burnham has also made pledges about reducing, and even eradicating, homelessness, improving care for the elderly and meeting NATO targets on defense spending.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Canney says eradicating this invasive species usually requires a combination of mechanical and chemical methods, applied carefully and consistently.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of eradicating
Verb
  • With the European Union banning large companies from destroying unsold apparel, clothing accessories and footwear under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation as of July, the case for Unspun’s technology becomes more compelling.
    — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 9 Nov. 2026
  • The mayor faced voter outrage over the Palisades fire, which broke out in January 2025, destroying thousands of homes and leaving 12 people dead.
    — David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of destroying
Verb
  • Third of all, overcoming two years of dread took a long time.
    — Monique John, CBS News, 6 Nov. 2026
  • About that theme of overcoming numerous challenges, from March through October.
    — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of overcoming
Verb
  • But, yes, quality wins also would go a long way toward further erasing doubts.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Naturally, the Cubs couldn’t leave well enough alone and sent out workers to powerwash The Wall a few days later, erasing all the thoughtful messages.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of erasing
Verb
  • The row of storefronts between Chili’s and the Apple Cinema has numerous vacancies, and in the spring of 2025 a developer proposed demolishing part of the retail space for large apartment complex.
    — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Trump has focused extensively on White House renovations, including supergluing gold decorations himself in the Oval Office and demolishing the East Wing to make room for the ballroom, the New York Times reported.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of demolishing
Verb
  • In a town in southeastern Ukraine that is occupied by Russian forces, burying the dead has actually been forbidden.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Brand was also convicted of burying his head in the genitals of a former Channel 4 employee during the recording of a DVD in 2009.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of burying
Verb
  • Her other policy goals include ending military aid to Israel, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and laying the groundwork for Medicare for All, universal childcare and eldercare.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Cracking down on undocumented immigration and abolishing Indiana’s property taxes are his top issues.
    — Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of abolishing
Verb
  • Someone else even complained about the self-clean feature ruining their appliance.
    — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Most hunters probably would have taken a shot at the five-pointer, ruining their chances for the record-class bull.
    — Rich LaRocco, Outdoor Life, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of ruining

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Cite this Entry

“Annihilating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/annihilating. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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