PULVERIZE Synonyms: 178 Similar and Opposite Words

pulverize

verb

ˈpəl-və-ˌrīz

Definition of pulverize

as in to destroy

to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of buildings pulverized by a killer tornado

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to grind

to reduce to fine particles pulverize the cement into dust for reuse

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 pulverize Storms pulverized the southeast metro area with heavy rain and substantial hail. — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 17 Aug. 2026 Mortar and Pestle Step away from the cute portable blender or countertop blending beast, because the old-fashioned way to pulverize something is oftentimes best. — Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Martha Stewart, 30 July 2026 Portions of its skeleton featured pulverizing bite marks and missing chunks that all bore the hallmark signs of another predatory attack. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 29 July 2026 This would lead to massive deceleration forces that instantly pulverize standard tracking electronics, leaving search teams completely blind. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for pulverize

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulverize

Verb

Noguchi, Nakashima, and Amino were adults on February 19, 1942, when President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which forced Japanese American families to quickly abandon or destroy their property and board trains to the holding centers.

— Robert Sullivan, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2026
Refineries in Russia have been destroyed or damaged by drone attacks.

— Matt Egan, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of destroy

Verb

While the left spent all week whining about Sophie Cunningham's hat and firing squad best practices, us PATRIOTS were biding our time, keeping our heads down, and grinding towards another weekend.

— Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, smashing beef with a wooden spoon, until wine is evaporated, surface of pot is almost dry, and meat is finely ground, 12–15 minutes.

— Andy Baraghani, Bon Appetit Magazine, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of grind

Verb

And then the way the government dealt with them, which was to just demolish them, is also kind of prescient.

— Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir attended the demolition and said Israeli authorities had demolished more than 10,000 structures built without permits over the past year and a half.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of demolish

Verb

Occasional moments of real, spontaneous joy emerge, and others reveal the crushing emptiness of lives going nowhere, but the script doesn’t lean too hard in either direction.

— Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026
When Hindenburg crushed Hitler at the polls, in spring 1932, Hitler sought to have the results overturned amid claims of voter fraud with mail-in ballots and irregularities by state officials.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of crush

Verb

However, her plans are shattered when the body of a young woman is discovered in a bog, drawing Nora into a complex murder investigation alongside the local Garda team.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026
The story follows the transformation of Adriana (Colin), a woman shattered by a terrible murder and who discovers the strength to start over, driven by an unquenchable thirst for justice.

— Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of shatter

Verb

Extreme tropical weather led to two deaths in Mexico and caused widespread damage over the weekend as Hurricane Simon pounded the country's Pacific coast, authorities said Monday.

— JAIMIE DING, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
Rain pounded Las Vegas, which broke a daily rainfall record Sunday.

— Adrian Florido, NPR, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of pound

Verb

On Monday, workers hauled out a 200-pound piece of equipment that was ruined by the saltwater and sand carried in on the high tides.

— Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026
So our goal is to learn how to maximize AI budgets, not ration them and ruin productivity gains.

— Konstantin Klyagin, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of ruin

Verb

Huntley led Baltimore to a tying touchdown and 2-point conversion in the last minute of regulation and then scored on a 1-yard sneak in overtime as the Ravens rallied to beat the Atlanta Falcons 30-23 on Sunday night.

— ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
James Hager arrived at Lopez’s Palm Drive home in Key Largo to stop him from beating his on-and-off-again girlfriend, according to Lopez’s arrest report.

— David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of beat

Browse Nearby Words

pulsing

pulverize

pulverized

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Pulverize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulverize. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of pulverize

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

abscond

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

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

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes