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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in overcoming
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 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
  1. eradicating
  2. destroying
  3. overcoming
  4. erasing
  5. demolishing
  6. burying
  7. abolishing
  8. ruining
Verb
  • The quest for 500 million flies The only way the US has succeeded in eradicating screwworm is by breeding millions of flies, sterilizing them using radiation and dropping them in areas with infestations.
    — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026
  • The brand also claims that this sweeps away plaque rather than just blasting a hole through it, more effectively eradicating the sludgy bacteria.
    — Jenny Bailly, Allure, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of eradicating
Verb
  • In the early months of 2022, Russian forces occupied Irpin, destroying roughly 70% of the city.
    — Aidan Stretch, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Tucker Desmond, who pleaded guilty to destroying evidence of other plotters' crimes, was sentenced to probation.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of destroying
Verb
  • This design continually reflects the laser inside the stream via total internal reflection, overcoming the need for focal-point or Rayleigh-length adjustments.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Augusto, Marrero, Hernández and countless others have little choice but to figure things out which, in Cuban parlance, means overcoming whatever obstacle is placed in their way.
    — Juan Carlos López, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of overcoming
Verb
  • When the option of erasing heartbreak is so readily available, is this a kindness or a cruel, emotional violation?
    — Grace Dean, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • But Bama followed with a 38-3 quarterfinal flop to Indiana, erasing any momentum and placing DeBoer squarely under the microscope entering a pivotal third season.
    — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of erasing
Verb
  • At Cordova Villa Elementary, construction includes demolishing the existing administration building and a classroom building.
    — Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • By 2022, the former mill was in disrepair, leading the city to purchase the property with the intention of demolishing it.
    — Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of demolishing
Verb
  • Mexican cartels began using explosives more extensively about five years ago, dropping them from drones to attack security forces or rival groups and burying explosive devices in the ground to defend or control territory.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Families are burying victims while relatives of the missing wait for answers, as authorities detain the captain, crew and port officials in a widening probe into the disaster’s cause.
    — Andrew Wilks, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of burying
Verb
  • This July, the EU enacted one of their demands, abolishing the customs duty exemption below €150 and introducing a temporary €3 duty per item.
    — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Others, like abolishing the Senate and Supreme Court, are more controversial and used by Republicans to hammer DSA candidates as out of step with the American mainstream.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of abolishing
Verb
  • Social media now dominates millions of lives, ruining too many.
    — Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Global warming is ruining the way of life for these Colorado ranchers demanding accountability.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of ruining

Browse Nearby Words

annihilates
annihilating
annihilation
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of patina

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All