elimination

American  

[ih-lim-uh-nay-shuhn] / ɪˌlɪm əˈneɪ ʃən /

noun

• eliminations
  plural

1. the act of eliminating.

2. the state of being eliminated.

3. Mathematics. the process of solving a system of simultaneous equations by using various techniques to remove the variables successively.

4. Sports. a game, bout, or match in a tournament in which an individual or team is eliminated from the competition after one defeat.

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elimination British  

/ ɪˌlɪmɪˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of eliminating or the state of being eliminated

2. logic (qualified by the name of an operation) a syntactic rule specifying the conditions under which a formula or statement containing the specified operation may permit the derivation of others that do not contain it

   conjunction-elimination

   universal elimination

3. chem a type of chemical reaction involving the loss of a simple molecule, such as water or carbon dioxide

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonelimination
  noun
• preelimination
  noun
• proelimination
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• eliminations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of elimination

First recorded in 1595–1605; eliminate + -ion

Explanation

Elimination is the process of getting rid of something, whether it’s waste, errors, or the competition. Elimination comes from the Latin word limen, which means threshold. The Romans added an “e” to the beginning and created the verb eliminare, which means to banish or to push over the threshold and out the door. If you solve a multiple-choice question on a test using the process of elimination, you rule out the wrong possibilities one by one until you find the right answer.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

elimination eliminations

That process of elimination has repeatedly played an important role in particle physics.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026

Cardiff, almost by process of elimination, became the answer.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

“The technology frees us from those repetitive tasks, so the employees can focus on higher-value work and the elimination of potential risk,” said Matt Wagner, WM’s senior director for organization and automation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

The mayor’s office said the plans would include protected bike lanes without the elimination of lanes and would “implement signal modifications to increase safety.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

The first necessity is the elimination of tolerances on the chlorinated hydrocarbons, the organic phosphorus group, and other highly toxic chemicals.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Nike NKE -1.06%decrease; red down pointing triangle expects to record a charge of $300 million related to cost-cutting efforts, including job eliminations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026

But this isn’t to say that workers of any age should blithely assume they’ll be immune to job eliminations due to AI.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2025

And there were genuine October doubts to overcome, after upset first-round eliminations the two previous years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2025

From the breakneck eliminations of “Chopped” to the glitzy stakes of “Top Chef,” it’s easy to feel as though food television has entered its well-worn phase — perfectly palatable, but lacking a certain secret ingredient.

From Salon ● Dec. 25, 2024

The last night of the eliminations turned out like the second night.

From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls

Related Words

• destruction
• eradication
• expulsion
• rejection
• withdrawal