as in to eradicate
to destroy all traces of
in a stroke, the March snowstorm obliterated our hopes for an early spring
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obliterate
In the move to obliterate diversity, equity and inclusion, one word — merit — has stood out as an effective cudgel.
—
Kenji Yoshino, Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2026
The way football is broadcast manages to obliterate any difference between an informal consumer and a face-painting fanatic.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
As if obliterating the stage wasn’t enough, Doechii also pulled off a semi-upset, taking home the best rap album Grammy for Alligator Bites.
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 20 Jan. 2026
After Cruise's Ethan Hunt is falsely accused of planting a bomb that nearly obliterates the Kremlin, he is secretly tasked with exposing the real culprit, teaming with fellow agents Jane (Paula Patton) and Benji (Simon Pegg) and an intelligence analyst (Jeremy Renner) on a covert mission.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for obliterate
Kenji Yoshino, Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2026
The way football is broadcast manages to obliterate any difference between an informal consumer and a face-painting fanatic.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
As if obliterating the stage wasn’t enough, Doechii also pulled off a semi-upset, taking home the best rap album Grammy for Alligator Bites.
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 20 Jan. 2026
After Cruise's Ethan Hunt is falsely accused of planting a bomb that nearly obliterates the Kremlin, he is secretly tasked with exposing the real culprit, teaming with fellow agents Jane (Paula Patton) and Benji (Simon Pegg) and an intelligence analyst (Jeremy Renner) on a covert mission.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for obliterate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obliterate
Verb
-
California wildlife officials have approved a plan to eradicate Catalina’s entire deer population as part of a broader effort to restore the island ecosystem, sparking fierce opposition from an unusual coalition of hunters and animal welfare advocates.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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To date, the only other human disease ever eradicated was the virus that caused smallpox.—
Theresa Gaffney,
STAT,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Therefore, telling the story in graphic form on behalf of Ukrainians themselves, explaining the preconditions for Russia’s attempts to erase Ukraine as a sovereign country and Ukrainians as an ethnic group, became extremely relevant.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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The Clippers erased a second double-digit deficit behind a 14-3 run to open the second quarter and took a 33-31 lead on Leonard’s pull-up jumper.—
Oc Register,
Oc Register,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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More than half of independents now approve of abolishing ICE, once a rallying cry of progressives.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Video footage shows Omar was calling for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and for Homeland Security Kristi Noem to resign when the suspect jumped in front of her and sprayed the liquid on her shirt.—
Philip Wang,
Time,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But when a man from Anne’s past returns from war, a curse begins to take shape through a mysterious knight and threatens to destroy them all.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
1 Feb. 2026
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Plenty of plants were destroyed in the Eaton and Palisades fires, of course, especially highly flammable shrubs like tall, skinny arborvitae.—
Jeanette Marantos,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obliterate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obliterate. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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