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

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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

After Israel destroyed Jenin refugee camp during the Second Intifada in 2002, a young girl looked into Mohammad Bakri’s camera and said that Palestinians would live proudly as eagles and die standing like lions.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
That’s because key refineries that produce it have been knocked offline or destroyed, both in Eastern Europe — where the Ukraine-Russia war still rages — and in the Middle East.

— Steve Kopack, NBC news, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of destroy

Verb

The third round was old-style Gauff, scratchy and inconsistent and grinding her way to victory with her legs, over Cristina Buçsa.

— Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
What is so distressing about the lawsuit that is grinding through the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan is that there seems to be no end in sight.

— Mike Kelly, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of grind

Verb

In New York City, light-up drones recreated the outlines of the twin towers that used to be a fixture in the skyline before they were demolished in the attacks.

— Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 11 Sep. 2026
One drone operator talks about going out for lunch or hanging out with their friends in Tel Aviv after demolishing people’s houses in Gaza from miles away.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of demolish

Verb

The vanishing New York chronicled in the blogs of the mid-aughts has mostly vanished, NYU has colonized large swaths of downtown, and a populace struggling to afford the crushing price of housing has arisen in its wake.

— David Freedlander, Curbed, 11 Sep. 2026
Now workers are crushing concrete and twisted metal into roads, shelter floors, and spaces for community kitchens.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of crush

Verb

Last week a number of concerned mathematicians, many of them at the top of their subject, launched the Association for Human Mathematics (AHM)—an effort that was underway even before the earth-shattering Navier-Stokes news.

— Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 14 Sep. 2026
Maya’s fear of commitment mirrors the film’s fear of showing us anything truly ugly or grappling with the idea that our heroine is one of many, many people who lost someone during a society-shattering number of years.

— Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of shatter

Verb

To me, that would ruin all of the progress baseball has made over the last five years.

— Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
My personal concern is especially based on the fact that their huge need for additional electricity generation could very well ruin our ability to reduce carbon emissions and avoid a climate crisis.

— Martin Kushler, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of ruin

Verb

The Panthers beat Vanderbilt in coach Dell McGee’s third game as coach in 2024, then lost 17 of their next 18 games against FBS opponents.

— Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 14 Sep. 2026
Two blue and yellow humanoid robots attempted to beat each other up with punches twice as hard as Mike Tyson’s.

— Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of beat

Browse Nearby Words

pulsing

pulverize

pulverized

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Pulverize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulverize. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of pulverize

verb

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