annihilating

present participle of annihilate
1
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3

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 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 One compelling hypothesis is that dark matter particles in the dense central halo are interacting with and annihilating one another, releasing energy as gamma rays. Paul M. Sutter, Scientific American, 6 May 2026 That means eliminating Iran's Navy, which is now absolutely destroyed, hurting their Air Force and their missile program at levels never seen before, and annihilating their defense industrial base. James Powel, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026 The Death Star, the Empire's planet-annihilating battlestation, has long been the Holy Grail of Lego Star Wars fans. Chris McMullen, Space.com, 12 Mar. 2026 So, if the president succeeds in 'annihilating,' in his words, the Iranian navy, then long-term prospects of closure should decline, and that should increase the likelihood that ships will start sailing again. David McHugh, Arkansas Online, 3 Mar. 2026 Its project is annihilating transformation. Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for annihilating
Verb
  • This strategy was key to eradicating the pest for the first time in the 1960s.
    Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 10 June 2026
  • Some wall texts are labeled The work that remained and describe shortfalls of Obama-era policies and ambitions, such as the Affordable Care Act or eradicating nuclear weapons.
    Kelsey Ables, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026
Verb
  • For decades, factories discharged pollution into waterways and wetlands, destroying natural habitats and forcing residents to live in the shadow of smokestacks and refineries.
    Gretchen Kalwinski, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2026
  • In my view, Iran is hellbent on destroying Israel and America.
    Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2026
Verb
  • The barriers our students face have changed over the years, but our commitment to overcoming them remains the same as always.
    Albert D. Mosley, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2026
  • Rather than scaling software, their approach focuses on overcoming physical bottlenecks—verified by the laws of physics—to build the foundational architecture for the broader space economy.
    Alexandra Vidyuk, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
Verb
  • Additionally, architecture must be connected and long-term ecosystem partners need to be treated as strategic capability extensions, not interchangeable vendors that operate on short-term rotations, erasing institutional memory.
    Harpreet Sidhu, Fortune, 13 June 2026
  • Removing it can also remove , which helps stop someone else from erasing, activating and reselling your phone.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 12 June 2026
Verb
  • Indeed, many media observers—inside and outside the network—have gone so far as to suggest that demolishing the status quo seems to be central to Weiss’s mandate.
    Claire Zillman, Fortune, 12 June 2026
  • In February 2024, police gave him and his wife minutes to pack before demolishing their home.
    Sam Mednick, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026
Verb
  • Keep the language concrete and avoid burying the point under explanation.
    Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 June 2026
  • Jacob Scott Bevins, 36, is accused of inflicting forceful trauma on Aiden Bevins, leading to the boy's death before burying him under his residence, KING 5 and KATU reported on Friday, June 5.
    Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 6 June 2026
Verb
  • In 1926, diplomats gathered beneath the high ceilings of the League of Nations in Geneva to draft the world's first international treaty abolishing slavery.
    Nicole F. Roberts, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
  • His Green New Scam surrendered American Energy Dominance and, by abolishing the Southern Border, Biden let 21 million people from all over the World pour into the United States, including from prisons, jails, mental institutions, and insane asylums.
    New York Times, New York Times, 11 June 2026
Verb
  • Two runners scored, ruining Tech ace Nijaree Canady’s shutout.
    Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 5 June 2026
  • The Los Angeles Dodgers are ruining baseball.
    Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Annihilating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/annihilating. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.

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