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 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 Perhaps most disturbingly, there’s a short sequence of a massive pink bunny vaporizing people with its laser eyes. — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 1 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
  • 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
  • Historical records show that about 500,000 bricks were sold after the convent was demolished, but Langkilde said a complex of its size could easily have contained twice that number.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026
  • The new 191,000-square-foot police station replaces one that was built in 1958 and demolished earlier this year.
    — Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of demolish
Verb
  • Only Hincapie’s wayward finish, a second later, ruined things.
    — Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Social media now dominates millions of lives, ruining too many.
    — Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of ruin
Verb
  • The escalation shattered a four-year truce that had largely halted the fighting in the civil war.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2026
  • This design effectively absorbs violent shockwaves that would otherwise shatter conventional armor.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of shatter
Verb
  • The conflict in Gaza has left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead and devastated the enclave.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Its interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former al-Qa’eda militant who led the rebel offensive that overthrew dictator Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, has been struggling to rebuild a nation devastated by almost 14 years of civil war.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of devastate
Verb
  • Following instructions from the kidnappers (unbeknownst to his increasingly agitated comrades), Lee drives out to meet them for the exchange, only to wreck his car and become distracted saving a nearby woman, Hua (Moon Lee).
    — Jake Cole, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The general public learned of the demolition plan only when the wrecking equipment began work nearly three months later.
    — Dan Diamond, Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of wreck
Verb
  • Bayern smashed the record for goals in the Bundesliga last season, with 122 in the 34 matches.
    — James Horncastle, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Of the 2,977 people who perished on 9/11, 2,753 were lost in the collapse of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center after two hijacked jetliners smashed into them.
    — Mike Kelly, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of smash

Browse Nearby Words

vaporing
vaporize
vaporized
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Cite this Entry

“Vaporize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vaporize. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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