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 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for annihilating
Verb
  • Community meetings focus on eradicating the homeless and protecting property values rather than supporting neighbors or providing shelter.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Back then, researchers were focused on eradicating the New World screwworm, a nasty pest that lays its eggs in wounds on living creatures.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Fox attorneys also accused executives at both Dominion and Smartmatic of destroying evidence in their respective cases, and sought sanctions.
    — Maddy Lauria, NPR, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Because both sides can persistently generate concentrated effects without concentrating forces, destroying the enemy’s ability to keep fighting becomes harder.
    — NADIA SCHADLOW, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • That included overcoming injuries to Jose Ramirez, Angel Martínez and rookie Chase DeLauter.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The researchers found that the material could undergo helicity-independent magnetization reversal, overcoming a major constraint of earlier approaches.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Some Italian Americans assert that Columbus Day is at its core a celebration of our heritage, and that changing the name would be akin to erasing our history.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Treating those experiences as interchangeable risks erasing the sacrifice behind one of them.
    — Angelette C. Aviles, Baltimore Sun, 19 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • On Thursday, the judge ordered the Kennedy Center to provide 30 days' notice before making any major physical changes to the building, including demolishing it.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026
  • On Thursday, the judge ordered the Kennedy Center to provide 30 days’ notice before making any major physical changes to the building, including demolishing it.
    — Gary Fields, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Revenue suffered during the shutdown, burying the company in a hole of debt with little chance of climbing out.
    — Joshua Ceballos, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026
  • People are already burying the Chargers and this line moved from nearly double-digits (Chargers -9½) to under the key number of 7.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Some advocate abolishing the agency, while others offer visions for how to rein it in and reform it.
    — Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Now, Xi remains in office after purging political rivals, abolishing presidential term limits and consolidating power.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Seaver also allegedly threatened to start a podcast dedicated to ruining Parton’s image unless he was paid.
    — Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Even if your appliance feels cool to the touch, warm air rises and can make the top slightly warmer, slowly cooking the wine and ruining the flavor.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Annihilating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/annihilating. Accessed 30 Sep. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster