eliminate

American  

[ih-lim-uh-neyt] / ɪˈlɪm əˌneɪt /

verb (used with object)

eliminates, present (3rd person singular) eliminated, past participle, past eliminating present participle

1. to remove or get rid of, especially as being in some way undesirable.

   to eliminate risks; to eliminate hunger.

   Synonyms:

   annihilate, exterminate, erase, eradicate, abolish, banish

   Antonyms:

   invite, get, obtain

2. to omit, especially as being unimportant or irrelevant; leave out.

   I have eliminated all statistical tables, which are of interest only to the specialist.

   Synonyms:

   exclude, except, delete, drop

   Antonyms:

   incorporate, admit, accept, include

3. to remove from further consideration or competition, especially by defeating in a contest.

4. to eradicate or kill.

   to eliminate the enemy.

5. Physiology. to void or expel from an organism.

6. Mathematics. to remove (a quantity) from an equation by elimination.

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eliminate British  

/ ɪˈlɪmɪˌneɪt /

verb

1. to remove or take out; get rid of

2. to reject as trivial or irrelevant; omit from consideration

3. to remove (a competitor, team, etc) from a contest, usually by defeat

4. slang to murder in a cold-blooded manner

5. physiol to expel (waste matter) from the body

6. maths to remove (an unknown variable) from two or more simultaneous equations

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Usage

Eliminate is sometimes wrongly used to talk about avoiding the repetition of something undesirable: we must prevent (not eliminate ) further mistakes of this kind

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preeliminate
  verb (used with object)
• eliminant
  noun
• well-eliminated
  adjective
• noneliminative
  adjective
• uneliminated
  adjective
• eliminability
  noun
• eliminative
  adjective
• eliminator
  noun
• eliminable
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has eliminated
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have eliminated
  perfect
• are eliminating
  progressive
• have been eliminating
  perfect progressive
• am eliminating
  progressive 1st person singular
• is eliminating
  progressive 3rd person singular
• has been eliminating
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• eliminating
  participle
• eliminates
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had eliminated
  perfect
• was eliminating
  progressive singular
• had been eliminating
  perfect progressive
• were eliminating
  progressive plural
• eliminated
  participle
• eliminated
  simple

Future

• will eliminate
  simple
• will have eliminated
  perfect
• will have been eliminating
  perfect progressive
• will be eliminating
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of eliminate

First recorded in 1560–70 and in 1915–20 eliminate for def. 4; from Latin ēlīminātus “turned out of doors” (past participle of ēlīmināre ), equivalent to ē- “from, out of” + līmin-, stem of līmen “threshold” + -ātus adjective suffix; see e- ¹, -ate ¹

Explanation

As eliminate means "get rid of or do away with," it has become used to refer to the end of a problem or even an entire species. We need to eliminate sources of pollution in order to maintain a healthy world. The original literal meaning of eliminate was "to thrust over the threshold and out of doors, to kick out," but the 18th century saw the word expand to mean "to exclude," and later to ridding the body of waste. The verb then came to refer to getting rid of anything, such as a problem or foul odor. The word took an ominous turn in the 20th century, when we saw man-made pollution eliminate whole species, and war, hate, and famine nearly eliminate whole groups of people.

Example Sentences

Ways to potentially eliminate education debt while simultaneously building decades of tax-advantaged compounding that may address the wealth-building challenges their grandchildren face.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026

The proposed Inglewood Fair Share Admissions Tax Tier Reform and Cap Removal Initiative, funded by WOW media, would eliminate those caps and restructure how venues are taxed.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

The Public Sector Equality Duty, which applies in England, Scotland and Wales, requires public bodies and bodies carrying out public functions to eliminate unlawful discrimination.

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026

Faster removal of oil could give response teams a critical advantage, allowing them to eliminate spills before they spread into sensitive habitats and protected coastal regions.

From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2026

It’s easier to do that if you eliminate the other good players.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

Related Words

• cancel
• defeat
• dispose of
• disqualify
• eradicate
• erase
• exclude
• get rid of
• ignore
• knock out
• oust
• phase out
• stamp out
• waive
• wipe out