eliminate

American  

[ih-lim-uh-neyt] / ɪˈlɪm əˌneɪt /

verb (used with object)

• eliminates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• eliminated,
  past participle,  past
• eliminating
  present participle

1. to remove or get rid of, especially as being in some way undesirable.

   to eliminate risks; to eliminate hunger.

   Synonyms:

   annihilate, exterminate, erase, eradicate, abolish, banish

   Antonyms:

   invite, get, obtain

2. to omit, especially as being unimportant or irrelevant; leave out.

   I have eliminated all statistical tables, which are of interest only to the specialist.

   Synonyms:

   exclude, except, delete, drop

   Antonyms:

   incorporate, admit, accept, include

3. to remove from further consideration or competition, especially by defeating in a contest.

4. to eradicate or kill.

   to eliminate the enemy.

5. Physiology. to void or expel from an organism.

6. Mathematics. to remove (a quantity) from an equation by elimination.

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eliminate British  

/ ɪˈlɪmɪˌneɪt /

verb

1. to remove or take out; get rid of

2. to reject as trivial or irrelevant; omit from consideration

3. to remove (a competitor, team, etc) from a contest, usually by defeat

4. slang to murder in a cold-blooded manner

5. physiol to expel (waste matter) from the body

6. maths to remove (an unknown variable) from two or more simultaneous equations

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Usage

Eliminate is sometimes wrongly used to talk about avoiding the repetition of something undesirable: we must prevent (not eliminate ) further mistakes of this kind

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• eliminability
  noun
• eliminant
  noun
• eliminator
  noun
• preeliminate
  verb (used with object)
• eliminable
  adjective
• eliminative
  adjective
• noneliminative
  adjective
• uneliminated
  adjective
• well-eliminated
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• eliminating
  present
• eliminated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• eliminate
  simple
• eliminates
  simple
• have eliminated
  perfect
• has eliminated
  perfect
• am eliminating
  progressive
• are eliminating
  progressive
• is eliminating
  progressive
• have been eliminating
  perfect progressive
• has been eliminating
  perfect progressive

Past

• eliminated
  simple
• had eliminated
  perfect
• was eliminating
  progressive
• were eliminating
  progressive
• had been eliminating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will eliminate
  simple
• will have eliminated
  perfect
• will be eliminating
  progressive
• will have been eliminating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of eliminate

First recorded in 1560–70 and in 1915–20 eliminate for def. 4; from Latin ēlīminātus “turned out of doors” (past participle of ēlīmināre ), equivalent to ē- “from, out of” + līmin-, stem of līmen “threshold” + -ātus adjective suffix; see e- ¹, -ate ¹

Explanation

As eliminate means "get rid of or do away with," it has become used to refer to the end of a problem or even an entire species. We need to eliminate sources of pollution in order to maintain a healthy world. The original literal meaning of eliminate was "to thrust over the threshold and out of doors, to kick out," but the 18th century saw the word expand to mean "to exclude," and later to ridding the body of waste. The verb then came to refer to getting rid of anything, such as a problem or foul odor. The word took an ominous turn in the 20th century, when we saw man-made pollution eliminate whole species, and war, hate, and famine nearly eliminate whole groups of people.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

eliminate eliminates eliminated eliminating

I hope that they eliminate the scores in the future.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

If lawmakers were to eliminate the cap, they’d have to decide how to treat Social Security benefits.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

This year, the company plans to introduce a new kind of EV: one with a gas generator on board to charge the battery and eliminate drivers’ anxiety about running out of power.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Turning off the faucet: Antiretroviral therapy doesn't eliminate HIV altogether, but it minimizes its ability to replicate.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

Before every takeoff, pilots did two hours of “pre-breathing”—breathing in pure oxygen to eliminate nitrogen from the blood.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Switching to the Sport drive mode eliminates the tip-in latency and allows the engine to sustain high revs longer before the transmission upshifts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

The Schengen agreement eliminates border checks and now encompasses more than 450 million people and 29 countries in Europe.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

Although sodium-ion batteries cost more than lithium ones, Mossburg said their battery systems still save customers money: The technology does not heat up like lithium, so it eliminates the need for expensive cooling technology.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

Slaughter disrupts this design and largely eliminates its incentives for bipartisanship.

From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2026

"But he invented a product that eliminates foot odor. Here, I've got a sample in my briefcase. I wish I had more. You two could bathe in it."

From "Holes" by Louis Sachar

She recruited more women, eliminated a previous gender pay gap and proposed daycare centers at the company’s main sites—an idea thwarted by security concerns.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

It also eliminated an earlier loophole that allowed stonecutting manufacturers to dodge safety requirements by claiming that protective steps weren’t feasible.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

The strategy you describe — claiming 50% of your spouse’s benefit at 62 and your own larger benefit at a later date — was largely eliminated by Congress in 2015.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

Brave are playing for pride, having already been eliminated and victory would guarantee they avoid the wooden spoon.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

He assured his audience that as soon as the enemy sanctuaries had been eliminated and NVA military supplies destroyed, American troops would be withdrawn.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

There are many factors that go into determining how much of an impact eliminating the tax cap would have on the program’s bottom line.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

In an email, a Netflix spokesperson said it is eliminating roles because the company believes it can operate more strategically and efficiently in its games business.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

A rule might involve reversing the digits or eliminating numbers above a certain value.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

For others it is eliminating their food or their homes.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

It made a ticking noise as it churned through Enigma settings at incredible speed, eliminating wrong solutions far faster than possible by hand.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• cancel
• defeat
• dispose of
• disqualify
• eradicate
• erase
• exclude
• get rid of
• ignore
• knock out
• oust
• phase out
• stamp out
• waive
• wipe out