eviscerate

verb

evis·​cer·​ate i-ˈvi-sə-ˌrāt How to pronounce eviscerate (audio)
eviscerated; eviscerating

transitive verb

1
a
: to take out the entrails of : disembowel
b
: to deprive of vital content or force
2
: to remove an organ from (a patient) or the contents of (an organ)

intransitive verb

: to protrude through a surgical incision or suffer protrusion of a part through an incision
evisceration noun

Example Sentences

the ancient Egyptians would eviscerate the bodies of the dead as part of the process of mummifying them
Recent Examples on the Web Instead, the GOP is still talking about budget cuts and a plan to engineer a debt ceiling standoff in order to eviscerate the social safety net. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 23 Feb. 2023 Méndez Ruiz is part of an ongoing effort by the Guatemalan right to eviscerate the country’s judiciary, including High Risk Courts like Gálvez’s. Peter Canby, The New York Review of Books, 15 Nov. 2022 Hawk owls in particular eviscerate small mammals before eating their heads and organs, thereafter caching the remains. Kyle Hill, Discover Magazine, 28 Jan. 2013 Borat returned on the evening of Dec. 4 at the Kennedy Center Honors (via The Guardian) to eviscerate Kanye West for his outspoken antisemitism. Zack Sharf, Variety, 5 Dec. 2022 The biggest armed conflict in Europe since the Second World War rages on as Russia, with barbaric intensity and kamikaze drones, seeks to eviscerate its neighbor Ukraine. Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 29 Dec. 2022 Obviously, there's theater which can eviscerate people, disturb their emotions, and so on. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 30 Sep. 2022 Like ants and termites, their colonies have a caste of specialised soldiers, with powerful jaws that eviscerate invading worms from other colonies. Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 23 Dec. 2010 In the sharpest words possible, critics like the Guardian’s Jay Rayner regularly eviscerate restaurants with glee. Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 24 Oct. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'eviscerate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Latin evisceratus, past participle of eviscerare, from e- + viscera viscera

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of eviscerate was in 1599

Dictionary Entries Near eviscerate

Cite this Entry

“Eviscerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eviscerate. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.

Kids Definition

eviscerate

verb
evis·​cer·​ate i-ˈvis-ə-ˌrāt How to pronounce eviscerate (audio)
eviscerated; eviscerating
: to take out the internal organs of
evisceration noun

Medical Definition

eviscerate

verb
evis·​cer·​ate i-ˈvis-ə-ˌrāt How to pronounce eviscerate (audio)
eviscerated; eviscerating

transitive verb

1
: to remove the viscera of
2
: to remove an organ from (a patient) or the contents of (an organ)

intransitive verb

: to protrude through a surgical incision or suffer protrusion of a part through an incision

More from Merriam-Webster on eviscerate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!


Love It or Hate It

  • heart-fire
  • When asked about her blind date, Carol spoke for hours with vitriol.
Spell It

Hear a word and type it out. How many can you get right?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can with using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.

Can you make 12 words with 7 letters?

PLAY