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:
“He had been president only thirteen days—and now he faced the prospect that to end the war and save American lives, he might have to obliterate Japan’s cities,” Mr. Scott writes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
If you not yet 65 and are using ACA coverage, Roth conversions can obliterate premium subsidies.
From MarketWatch ● May 8, 2026
But now satellite images reveal that Iran is repairing the damage done, suggesting he didn’t obliterate the sites after all.
From Slate ● Feb. 6, 2026
The way football is broadcast manages to obliterate any difference between an informal consumer and a face-painting fanatic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2026
Not since Y2K had I felt so certain that something terrible was coming, something that would obliterate everything I’d known before.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
“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
For the sake of one great moment, she’ll ask us to forget all the other ones it obliterates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2025
“It’s still the most subversive comedy in ages, a smart bomb that obliterates its intended target.”
From Washington Times ● Dec. 3, 2023
"What we now know as Precision Scheduled Railroading just obliterates our normal working agreements," said Burrows, a member of Railroad Workers United.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2023
His most remarkable feature besides his paleness, a paleness that obliterates any possible expression, is his hair.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
In April, he obliterated a racquet after losing 6-0 6-0 at the Monte Carlo Masters and was again fined for unsportsmanlike conduct.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
After the June 2025 strikes, he said Iran’s nuclear program was obliterated, although Tehran retained a large stockpile of highly enriched material and underground sites where it could revive work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Al-Dabba, who heads the Beekeepers Cooperative in the Gaza Strip, said the war which erupted in October 2023 obliterated the Palestinian territory's beekeeping culture.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 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
Hermione therefore removed the enchantments she had placed around the clearing, while Harry and Ron obliterated all the marks and impressions on the ground that might show they had camped there.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Olivia Dean speaks about obliterating a record held by Abba, toppling Jay-Z and Rihanna’s “Umbrella” and why meeting Stevie Wonder almost did her in.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 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
It has been reported that discussions shifted to mitigating rather than obliterating the policy completely.
From BBC ● Dec. 24, 2025
Myers’ vision for the area included reintroducing animals that had once been native inhabitants, including tule elk and bighorn sheep, and obliterating man-made intrusions, such as a rock quarry, petroleum waste pits, fences and roads.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2025
The snow was covering everything, burying the mountain lion’s tracks and obliterating his scent.
From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
