1
as in to eradicate
to destroy all traces of
the family's attempts to annihilate the roach population in their apartment had met with little success
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to destroy
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
the tornado simply annihilated the family's home
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to overcome
to defeat by a large margin
we didn't just win; we absolutely annihilated them!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of annihilate
The universe seems stable, but an unlikely shift in the Higgs field, a quantum field that pervades all of space, could trigger a bubble that passes through the universe, annihilating all matter.
—
Andrea Gawrylewski, Scientific American, 3 June 2025
Back in 1994, the Rossoneri had gone into the final as clear underdogs but annihilated Johan Cruyff’s Dream Team 4-0 to lift European club soccer’s biggest prize for the fifth time.
—Dan Cancian, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
During an interview with Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, earlier this year, Musk was asked how real the prospect was of killer robots annihilating humanity.
—Matthew Purdy, New York Times, 29 May 2025
Elon Musk is leaving his Trump administration role as a senior adviser after months of leading the government effort to annihilate spending at all costs.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for annihilate
Andrea Gawrylewski, Scientific American, 3 June 2025
Back in 1994, the Rossoneri had gone into the final as clear underdogs but annihilated Johan Cruyff’s Dream Team 4-0 to lift European club soccer’s biggest prize for the fifth time.
—Dan Cancian, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
During an interview with Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, earlier this year, Musk was asked how real the prospect was of killer robots annihilating humanity.
—Matthew Purdy, New York Times, 29 May 2025
Elon Musk is leaving his Trump administration role as a senior adviser after months of leading the government effort to annihilate spending at all costs.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for annihilate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for annihilate
Verb
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The fest was especially significant this year — the 50th anniversary of resettlement in the U.S. by refugees emanating from the Vietnam War, the Secret War in Laos and the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia that attempted to eradicate artists, intellectuals and cultural bearers from society.—
Jia H. Jung,
Mercury News,
11 July 2025
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Measles was eradicated in the United States 25 years ago.—
Taylor Wilson,
USA Today,
10 July 2025
Verb
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Experts have long assumed that the instrument had been destroyed or lost to history.—
Asia London Palomba,
Smithsonian Magazine,
14 July 2025
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The fire that destroyed the Grand Canyon Lodge was burning on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.—
AZCentral.com,
AZCentral.com,
14 July 2025
Verb
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There can be ways to overcome the objections of the people who are concerned that new technology will make their jobs obsolete.—
Edward Segal,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
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Others tolerate challenging growing conditions, like heat and drought, or were bred to overcome common problems such as heavy soil.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
4 July 2025
Verb
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Kurt's key takeaways The AI tattoo machine isn't here to erase tradition.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
14 July 2025
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And the push to exclude non-citizens from the next count is unconstitutional, deeply un-American and designed to erase entire communities.—
Genesis Robinson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 July 2025
Verb
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It was held at Isaza’s grandparents’ house, which was about to be demolished.—
Sigal Ratner-Arias,
Billboard,
10 July 2025
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An existing, 38,000-square-foot building on the site will be demolished in that development.—
Corina Vanek,
AZCentral.com,
8 July 2025
Verb
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Where power lines are buried, flooding can also cause issues.—
Adriana Pérez,
Chicago Tribune,
6 July 2025
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Meanwhile, every attempt to create ethical walls and accountability at PURA have been quietly buried by those who benefit from the dysfunction.—
Timothy M. Herbst,
Hartford Courant,
6 July 2025
Verb
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While Minnesota abolished the death penalty over a century ago, the federal murder charges carry a maximum penalty of capital punishment.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
9 July 2025
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Minnesota abolished its state death penalty in 1911.—
Steve Karnowski,
Los Angeles Times,
8 July 2025
Verb
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Now a wonderful memory of the occasion will be ruined in my memories.—
Eric Thomas,
Sun Sentinel,
9 July 2025
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The ceiling was now on the floor, the world had turned itself upside down, her outfit and her day and her rug were seemingly ruined—and yet she herself was not hurt.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Annihilate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/annihilate. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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