annihilate
verb (used with object)
to reduce to utter ruin or nonexistence; destroy utterly.
annihilating
-
present participleof annihilate.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
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.
The Jewish holiday Purim celebrates their triumph roughly 2,500 years ago over a minister to the king bent on annihilating the empire’s Jews.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
His words have swerved through claims of victory to threats of annihilating Iranian civilisation to support for negotiations.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Early on, researchers suspected that dark matter particles migh t be colliding and annihilating each other, creating intense bursts of radiation.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2025
But Ginsberg cautioned that dehumanization “didn't propose a compassion or tenderness or mutual involvement or Buddha nature as an alternative. It proposed a complete annihilating void and nothingness.”
From Salon ● Feb. 16, 2025
By the time of the great Inca rebellion of 1536, the Incas had learned how best to defend themselves against cavalry, by ambushing and annihilating Spanish horsemen in narrow passes.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
