vaporize

verb

ˈvā-pə-ˌrīz How to pronounce vaporize (audio)
Definition of vaporizenext
as in to destroy
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of a lightning strike vaporized the tree

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 vaporize This large mass will translate into higher quantities of polluting propellant needed to loft these systems off Earth and a much larger amount of metals vaporizing in Earth's atmosphere during reentry. — Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 11 Aug. 2026 When the crash occurs, the object vaporizes and shock waves are sent reverberating through the Earth’s crust. — Megan Fahrney, ABC News, 24 July 2026 To retire them, the company plans to move many of them into a graveyard orbit, while others will be vaporized by burning up in Earth’s atmosphere during re-entry. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 9 July 2026 When a large body hits, some of the impact energy goes into vaporizing or melting rock right at the impact site. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 5 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for vaporize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vaporize
  1. destroy
  2. demolish
  3. ruin
  4. shatter
  5. devastate
  6. wreck
  7. smash
Verb
  • Although much of the population in Java converted to Islam and Borobudur was abandoned, it was not destroyed.
    — Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Careers are destroyed, lawsuits follow, and administrators calculate their exposure.
    — Zain Khalid, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of destroy
Verb
  • After more than 80 years, crews this week demolished a historic bridge that carried travelers across the Mississippi River between Missouri and downstate Illinois.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Trump recently said that if he could not be credited for renovations on the building, the center would be demolished.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of demolish
Verb
  • Some suburbs battled soil erosion, which ruined rivers and contaminated drinking water.
    — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Seaver also allegedly threatened to start a podcast dedicated to ruining Parton’s image unless he was paid.
    — Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of ruin
Verb
  • This trust, known as the presumption of regularity, has been shattered, and a growing number of judges have expressed frustration and alarm.
    — Eyal Press, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Crows pecked at both the living and the dead crabs, and cars shattered the shells into tiny fragments.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of shatter
Verb
  • The region has already been saturated by heavy rain over the past months, and regions like New Mexico and Grand Canyon were hit by devastating floods earlier this month.
    — Megan Janetsky, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Palestinian farmer Saad Nemer of Fasayil said the water being cut off has devastated his fields, adding that his family has documents that prove ownership of the land.
    — Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of devastate
Verb
  • The kind of person who could, and does, wreck the world with a flick of his finger, without suffering an ounce of remorse or consequence.
    — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The Nantucket Current reported that the wreck is likely part of a 19th-century wooden ship that wrecked near Miacomet Beach in 1884.
    — Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of wreck
Verb
  • Video footage from the scene showed rubble strewn across the street, with parked cars smashed by falling debris.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Who could forget the omelettes, pancakes, French toast and smashed potatoes loaded with cheese, onions, peppers and eggs or meat?
    — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of smash

Browse Nearby Words

vaporing
vaporize
vaporized
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Vaporize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vaporize. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

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