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
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Recent Examples of annihilate
The universe seems stable, but an unlikely shift in the Higgs field, a quantum field that pervades all of space, could trigger a bubble that passes through the universe, annihilating all matter.
—
Andrea Gawrylewski, Scientific American, 3 June 2025
Back in 1994, the Rossoneri had gone into the final as clear underdogs but annihilated Johan Cruyff’s Dream Team 4-0 to lift European club soccer’s biggest prize for the fifth time.
—Dan Cancian, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
During an interview with Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, earlier this year, Musk was asked how real the prospect was of killer robots annihilating humanity.
—Matthew Purdy, New York Times, 29 May 2025
Elon Musk is leaving his Trump administration role as a senior adviser after months of leading the government effort to annihilate spending at all costs.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for annihilate
Andrea Gawrylewski, Scientific American, 3 June 2025
Back in 1994, the Rossoneri had gone into the final as clear underdogs but annihilated Johan Cruyff’s Dream Team 4-0 to lift European club soccer’s biggest prize for the fifth time.
—Dan Cancian, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
During an interview with Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, earlier this year, Musk was asked how real the prospect was of killer robots annihilating humanity.
—Matthew Purdy, New York Times, 29 May 2025
Elon Musk is leaving his Trump administration role as a senior adviser after months of leading the government effort to annihilate spending at all costs.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for annihilate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for annihilate
Verb
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The fest was especially significant this year — the 50th anniversary of resettlement in the U.S. by refugees emanating from the Vietnam War, the Secret War in Laos and the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia that attempted to eradicate artists, intellectuals and cultural bearers from society.—
Jia H. Jung,
Mercury News,
11 July 2025
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Measles was eradicated in the United States 25 years ago.—
Taylor Wilson,
USA Today,
10 July 2025
Verb
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Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim wildfire: National Park Service says only hotel destroyed The Grand Canyon Lodge was the park's only hotel, according the National Park Service, with the next nearest lodgings roughly 18 miles away.—
John Tufts,
IndyStar,
14 July 2025
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Experts have long assumed that the instrument had been destroyed or lost to history.—
Asia London Palomba,
Smithsonian Magazine,
14 July 2025
Verb
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Judicial confirmations were once a slower, more contentious process, often requiring 60 votes to overcome a filibuster.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
14 July 2025
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For two decades, senior legislators and military leaders have been working, mostly without success, to overcome these problems.—
Dexter Filkins,
New Yorker,
14 July 2025
Verb
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Kurt's key takeaways The AI tattoo machine isn't here to erase tradition.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
14 July 2025
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And the push to exclude non-citizens from the next count is unconstitutional, deeply un-American and designed to erase entire communities.—
Genesis Robinson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 July 2025
Verb
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It was held at Isaza’s grandparents’ house, which was about to be demolished.—
Sigal Ratner-Arias,
Billboard,
10 July 2025
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Shops at Sunset Place, a landmark mall in South Miami, will be demolished and replaced by towers filled with condos, a hotel, offices, a theater and restaurants.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
8 July 2025
Verb
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Prince Friso was in a skiing accident in February 2012, getting buried under an avalanche, which led to brain damage and falling into a coma.—
Alex Apatoff,
People.com,
15 July 2025
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Some mourners openly wept, burying their faces in the Palestinian flags wrapped around the bodies.—
Jeremy Diamond,
CNN Money,
14 July 2025
Verb
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While Minnesota abolished the death penalty over a century ago, the federal murder charges carry a maximum penalty of capital punishment.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
9 July 2025
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Minnesota abolished its state death penalty in 1911.—
Steve Karnowski,
Los Angeles Times,
8 July 2025
Verb
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The ceiling was now on the floor, the world had turned itself upside down, her outfit and her day and her rug were seemingly ruined—and yet she herself was not hurt.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 July 2025
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Now a wonderful memory of the occasion will be ruined in my memories.—
Eric Thomas,
Sun Sentinel,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Annihilate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/annihilate. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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