obliterate

[uh-blit-uh-reyt]

verb (used with object), ob·lit·er·at·ed, ob·lit·er·at·ing.

to remove or destroy all traces of; do away with; destroy completely.
to blot out or render undecipherable (writing, marks, etc.); efface.

Origin of obliterate

1590–1600; < Latin oblitterātus (past participle of oblitterāre, efface, cause to be forgotten), equivalent to ob- ob- + litter(a) letter¹ + -ātus -ate¹

Related formsob·lit·er·a·ble

[uh-blit-er-uh-buh l] /əˈblɪt ər ə bəl/, adjectiveo·blit·er·a·tor, nounhalf-ob·lit·er·at·ed, adjectiveun·ob·lit·er·at·ed, adjective

Synonyms

See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com

2. expunge.

Synonym study

2. See cancel.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for obliterate

Contemporary Examples

Israel has destroyed 80% of the ones they have found, and needs only a few days to obliterate the rest.
Israel Tells Hamas: You Can Keep Your Rockets
Eli Lake, Josh Rogin
July 31, 2014
Destroy them God, obliterate them from the face of the earth.
“Destroy them, God, obliterate them from the face of the earth.”
Emily L. Hauser
August 30, 2012
He promised to obliterate Obamacare “and replace it with real reform.”
Mitt Romney Fires Up Supporters on Virginia Campaign Stop
Lloyd Grove
June 28, 2012
Yet to destroy the precious book would be to obliterate centuries of information about the Ma family line.
The Mystery of Yo-Yo Ma's Name
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
February 9, 2010

Historical Examples

It would be vain for him to try to obliterate the traces of his priesthood.
Abbe Mouret's Transgression
Emile Zola
Could he but obliterate as completely the dread reckoning of another world!
The Shadow of a Crime
Hall Caine
I should turn my ray upon you and obliterate you immediately.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, August 1930
Various
Was he, at last, ashamed, and trying to obliterate the memory of his jealousy?
The Genius
Margaret Horton Potter
He moved toward it very carefully, in order not to obliterate any footprints.
Oh, You Tex!
William Macleod Raine

British Dictionary definitions for obliterate

obliterate

verb

(tr) to destroy every trace of; wipe out completely

Derived Formsobliteration, nounobliterative, adjectiveobliterator, noun

Word Origin

C16: from Latin oblitterāre to erase, from ob- out + littera letter

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for obliterate

v.

c.1600, from Latin obliteratus, past participle of obliterare "cause to disappear, blot out, erase, efface," figuratively "cause to be forgotten," from ob "against" (see ob-) + littera (also litera) "letter, script" (see letter (n.)); abstracted from phrase literas scribere "write across letters, strike out letters." Related: Obliterated; obliterating.

obliterate in Medicine

obliterate

(ə-blĭt′ə-rāt′, ō-blĭt′-)

To remove an organ or another body part completely, as by surgery, disease, or radiation.
To blot out, especially through filling of a natural space by fibrosis or inflammation.

Related formso•blit′er•a′tion n.

obliterate

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}obliterate

Synonyms

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for obliterate

Contemporary Examples

Israel has destroyed 80% of the ones they have found, and needs only a few days to obliterate the rest.

Destroy them God, obliterate them from the face of the earth.

He promised to obliterate Obamacare “and replace it with real reform.”

Yet to destroy the precious book would be to obliterate centuries of information about the Ma family line.

Historical Examples

It would be vain for him to try to obliterate the traces of his priesthood.

Could he but obliterate as completely the dread reckoning of another world!

I should turn my ray upon you and obliterate you immediately.

Was he, at last, ashamed, and trying to obliterate the memory of his jealousy?

He moved toward it very carefully, in order not to obliterate any footprints.

obliterate

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for obliterate

v.

obliterate

Origin of obliterate