as in eradicating
to destroy all traces of
hope that the fumigant exterminates the whole colony of cockroaches, for any survivors may be resistant to any poison
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Recent Examples of exterminating
Ahead, Miller and Eric Benson, PhD, professor emeritus and extension entomologist at Clemson University, share their expert advice for identifying, exterminating, and preventing bed bugs in your home.
—
Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 23 Jan. 2026
Last year, a leading AfD candidate for the European Parliament insisted that not all members of the Nazi SS paramilitary (responsible for rounding up and exterminating Jews) were criminals.
—Trudy Rubin, Mercury News, 20 Dec. 2025
While the sicko elites bask in the violence, Kawaji sees the Kodoku as a means of exterminating the remaining samurai, who have staged multiple rebellions against the Japanese empire.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Nov. 2025
So New Zealand has set a goal of exterminating rats, possums and other invasive animals that threaten the country’s biodiversity.
—NPR, 13 Oct. 2025
Robots built Trantor and the Galactic Empire, and then humans took those gifts and turned on their creation, hunting down and exterminating all robots.
—Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
This led to some debate among participants about the ethics of exterminating a pregnant nutria.
—Nathaniel Rich, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 23 Jan. 2026
Last year, a leading AfD candidate for the European Parliament insisted that not all members of the Nazi SS paramilitary (responsible for rounding up and exterminating Jews) were criminals.
—Trudy Rubin, Mercury News, 20 Dec. 2025
While the sicko elites bask in the violence, Kawaji sees the Kodoku as a means of exterminating the remaining samurai, who have staged multiple rebellions against the Japanese empire.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Nov. 2025
So New Zealand has set a goal of exterminating rats, possums and other invasive animals that threaten the country’s biodiversity.
—NPR, 13 Oct. 2025
Robots built Trantor and the Galactic Empire, and then humans took those gifts and turned on their creation, hunting down and exterminating all robots.
—Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
This led to some debate among participants about the ethics of exterminating a pregnant nutria.
—Nathaniel Rich, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exterminating
Verb
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Washington’s cut to funding for a global vaccine alliance could undo decades of progress in the fight against malaria, just as several African nations approach eradicating the disease.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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The country built some of the world’s most futuristic highways and was early in eradicating malaria.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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In erasing these concepts, or transforming them into meaningless slogans, the recent right-wing campaign of educational suppression seeks to eliminate an important means of understanding Black history.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In the wake of the fatal shootings of American citizens Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers during operations on the streets of Minneapolis, a recent YouGov poll shows that more Americans support abolishing ICE than those opposed.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
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Video footage shows Omar at the town hall, calling for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and for Homeland Security Kristi Noem to resign when a man jumps in front of her and sprays liquid from a syringe on her shirt.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Modesto Fire Department Firefighters quickly contained and extinguished the fire, preventing it from destroying the home, officials said.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
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By the way, the last scene of The Conversation has the paranoid Gene Hackman destroying his apartment in a desperate and futile search for listening devices.—
Rose Horowitch,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Exterminating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exterminating. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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