obliterate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
obliterates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
obliterated,
past participle, past
-
obliterating
present participle
-
to remove or destroy all traces of; do away with; destroy completely.
-
to blot out or render undecipherable (writing, marks, etc.); efface.
- Synonyms:
- expunge
verb
Synonym Usage
See cancel.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
obliteratesimple
-
obliteratessimple
-
have obliteratedperfect
-
has obliteratedperfect
-
am obliteratingprogressive
-
are obliteratingprogressive
-
is obliteratingprogressive
-
have been obliteratingperfect progressive
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has been obliteratingperfect progressive
Past
-
obliteratedsimple
-
had obliteratedperfect
-
was obliteratingprogressive
-
were obliteratingprogressive
-
had been obliteratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of obliterate
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin oblitterātus “effaced,” past participle of oblitterāre “to efface, cause to be forgotten,” equivalent to ob- ob- + litter(a) letter 1 + -āre, infinitive verb suffix
Explanation
When you see obliterate, think of evil alien invaders that zap a planet with a destructive ray. In one blast, the planet and all of the people on it are vaporized. The planet is truly obliterated, or completely wiped out. A long time ago, obliterate had to do with blotting out words on a page. This is why you see the word literate in there. Today it means to erase or destroy completely so that there is nothing left. While you can still obliterate text, you can also obliterate hope, an opponent, or all traces of your presence. Whatever you obliterate is completely gone.
Vocabulary lists containing obliterate
List 3
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The Lightning Thief
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This Week in Words: September 17 - 24, 2017
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It is clear that Arsenal would almost certainly need to obliterate the British transfer record of £125m, from Alexander Isak's move from Newcastle to Liverpool last summer.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Fox finally broke through with two PGA Tour wins last year, and the one asset he always possessed was the ability to obliterate drives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
A few pens have been left on the headstone, which has been replaced at least once; generations of fans have attempted to obliterate “Hughes.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026
If you not yet 65 and are using ACA coverage, Roth conversions can obliterate premium subsidies.
From MarketWatch ● May 8, 2026
She tried to obliterate this burning phrase, and what it made her feel.
From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin
“He obliterates the rest of the skill position guys,” said Mickey Marotti, the Buckeyes’ strength and performance coach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
“It’s still the most subversive comedy in ages, a smart bomb that obliterates its intended target.”
From Washington Times ● Dec. 3, 2023
In time, though, Tomas doesn’t just cross a line but obliterates it, moving in with Agathe and saying adieu to Martin for good — or so he thinks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2023
A convoluted conclusion, begot by an unconvincing change of heart, obliterates any chance of “Hunt” offering the clarity it needs to be entertaining.
From New York Times ● Dec. 1, 2022
His most remarkable feature besides his paleness, a paleness that obliterates any possible expression, is his hair.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
As a child of refugees from Hitler’s Germany and the descendent of a once-large family tree, many of whose branches were obliterated by the Holocaust, Mr. Moritz registered the diagnosis with mordant irony.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
"There's different models that schools will use to try and make sure that young people are not having parts of the curriculum obliterated because you don't have those staff - but sometimes it's really difficult."
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush — a man whose own presidential campaign was obliterated by a reality TV host — called a Pratt campaign video “maybe the best political ad of the year.”
From Salon ● May 18, 2026
‘We gotta stay with it,” said Marcus Smart, who has been obliterated by the Thunder’s physical guards.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2026
His personality, his sense of himself, had been obliterated.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
Sawe, born in Kenya's Rift Valley, where his father worked as a maize farmer, declared it "a day to remember" after obliterating Kiptum's world record by 65 seconds.
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026
Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe finished in 1:59:30, obliterating the previous record of 2:00:35 set at the 2023 Chicago Marathon by Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
The United States is the only country to have used nuclear weapons in combat, obliterating the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II, killing some 214,000 people.
From Barron's ● Apr. 23, 2026
Questions abound around the wildfires still burning their way across Los Angeles, obliterating entire neighborhoods with an unfathomable speed and ferocity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2025
Though Seabiscuit had won the race easily, running the final quarter in a blazing twenty-four seconds flat and obliterating the track record by \% seconds, he had dragged early in the race.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
