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
The Cavs obliterated the previous all-time record of 188 (LSU, 1997).
—
Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 30 May 2026
Fullerton’s reserves have been obliterated.
—John Seiler, Oc Register, 26 May 2026
Jódar, who can obliterate the ball, came out hot and stayed that way on a scorching day, winning half of the points on Kovacevic’s serve.
—Ava Wallace, New York Times, 25 May 2026
Enhanced is attempting to obliterate both of those constructs at once.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 25 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for obliterate
Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 30 May 2026
Fullerton’s reserves have been obliterated.
—John Seiler, Oc Register, 26 May 2026
Jódar, who can obliterate the ball, came out hot and stayed that way on a scorching day, winning half of the points on Kovacevic’s serve.
—Ava Wallace, New York Times, 25 May 2026
Enhanced is attempting to obliterate both of those constructs at once.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 25 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for obliterate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obliterate
Verb
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It was eradicated in the United States in the 1960s, in Mexico in the 1970s, and much of Central America in the early 2000s, according to the CDC.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
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Screwworms were eradicated from the US Southwest in 1966, though Texas continued to struggle with outbreaks into the 1980s.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
9 June 2026
Verb
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These Knicks, who erased a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter against Cleveland in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, just don’t quit.—
Tim Reynolds,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
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The magic on the pitch during the World Cup has a way of erasing everything that happens off it – for better or worse.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
11 June 2026
Verb
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Calls for the Department of Homeland Security to be abolished and pushback on gang databases ignore the real threats to our communities.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
10 June 2026
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For example, Gonzales wants to abolish the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement.—
The Denver Post Editorial Board,
Denver Post,
9 June 2026
Verb
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In July 1936, anarchists set fire to the church’s crypt and broke into the architect’s workshop before destroying many of his plans and plaster models.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
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The Russian president, who has never acknowledged that Ukraine is a legitimate country, or that Zelensky is its legitimate president, could continue to bomb Ukrainian cities, hoping to destroy the electrical grid and make the country unlivable.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obliterate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obliterate. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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