annihilate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to reduce to utter ruin or nonexistence; destroy utterly.
The heavy bombing almost annihilated the city.
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to destroy the collective existence or main body of; wipe out.
to annihilate an army.
- Synonyms:
- demolish, obliterate, smash
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to annul; make void.
to annihilate a law.
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to cancel the effect of; nullify.
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to defeat completely; vanquish.
Our basketball team annihilated the visiting team.
verb
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(tr) to destroy completely; extinguish
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informal (tr) to defeat totally, as in debate or argument
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(intr) physics to undergo annihilation
Other Word Forms
- annihilable adjective
- annihilative adjective
- annihilator noun
- annihilatory adjective
- unannihilated adjective
- unannihilative adjective
- unannihilatory adjective
Etymology
Origin of annihilate
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English adnichilat(e) “destroyed,” from Late Latin annihilātus “brought to nothing,” past participle of annihilāre “to bring to nothing,” from Latin an- an- 2 + nihil “nothing” + -āre, infinitive suffix
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.
Rampant Scotland annihilated French Grand Slam dreams with a stunning seven-try victory at Murrayfield that blew the Six Nations championship wide open.
From BBC
When matter and antimatter meet, they annihilate each other in a burst of energy.
From Science Daily
“She annihilates people on the steep pitch that’s like a sheet of ice,” Street said.
From Los Angeles Times
These stars could be powered not only by nuclear fusion, but also by energy released when dark matter particles annihilate.
From Science Daily
Self-proclaimed experts usually attract trouble through hubris, though I’ve seen bank traders and hedge fund managers annihilate themselves with slavish beliefs in trading ranges.
From Barron's
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.
