eradicate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to remove or destroy utterly; extirpate.
to eradicate smallpox throughout the world.
- Synonyms:
- annihilate, exterminate, uproot, obliterate
-
to erase by rubbing or by means of a chemical solvent.
to eradicate a spot.
-
to pull up by the roots.
to eradicate weeds.
verb
-
to obliterate; stamp out
-
to pull or tear up by the roots
Synonym Usage
See abolish.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
eradicationnoun
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eradicatornoun
-
eradicableadjective
-
eradicantadjective
-
eradicativeadjective
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noneradicativeadjective
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uneradicatedadjective
-
uneradicativeadjective
-
eradicablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
eradicatesimple
-
eradicatessimple
-
have eradicatedperfect
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has eradicatedperfect
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am eradicatingprogressive
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are eradicatingprogressive
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is eradicatingprogressive
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have been eradicatingperfect progressive
-
has been eradicatingperfect progressive
Past
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eradicatedsimple
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had eradicatedperfect
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was eradicatingprogressive
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were eradicatingprogressive
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had been eradicatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of eradicate
First recorded in 1555–65; from Latin ērādīcātus “rooted out” (past participle of ērādīcāre ), equivalent to ē- e- 1 + rādīc- (stem of rādīx ) root 1 + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
To eradicate something is to get rid of it, to destroy it, and to kiss it goodbye. Eradicate is from the Latin word eradicare meaning "to root out." When you yank that weed up by the roots, it has been eradicated; it's not coming back. Eradicate often means to kill a bunch of somethings, like what you want the poison to do to the roach family and their extended relatives living in your house, and what we thought we did to bedbugs. You can also eradicate corruption, poverty, or diseases. Although there are all kinds of things to get rid of, we usually want to only eradicate the bad things.
Vocabulary lists containing eradicate
The Maze Runner
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Donald Trump Inauguration Address- January 20, 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:
Authorities ordered the firms to phase out cross-border businesses in China within two years, vowing to "completely eradicate" such illegal operations.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
Yet what English phrase did more to eradicate that institution than the Declaration’s claim that it is “self-evident, that all men are created equal”?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
Sterilization programs for male screwworm flies previously helped eradicate the parasite from the U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026
Once misinformation or disinformation takes root in the public sphere, it’s almost impossible to eradicate.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
I didn’t want to be a symbol for the Justice League of Parents to use in their crusade to eradicate campus intolerance.
From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan
The immune system then recognizes and eradicates those spike proteins, thus learning how to defend against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2022
Johnson added, “It helps the drought but by no means eradicates the drought.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2022
This “Dune” almost completely eradicates the arid, meandering vision and miscues of David Lynch’s 1984 film adaptation.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 20, 2022
While this is better than Facebook’s head count of 23,000, Amazon eradicates jobs, too.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 17, 2018
“We believe that preparation eradicates cowardice, which we define as the failure to act in the midst of fear,” says Four.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
The assistant referee gets an audio alert when a player is 10cm or more offside, so the delayed flag has largely been eradicated.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
A flesh-eating parasitic fly is once again threatening the nation’s livestock, after being eradicated from the U.S. six decades ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
It’s also because after being eradicated in the United States in the 1960s, the flesh-eating screwworm is back: A few cases have emerged in Texas.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
Still, the resurgence of the parasite, which was eradicated in the U.S. in the 1960s, comes at a time when the cattle industry is already facing drought, tariff battles and other challenges.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026
What a child has heard in his first six years of life cannot be eradicated later.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Completely eradicating the paper check, however, would be a steep psychological hill to climb.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
Thi Thanh Huong Tran and others suggest, however, that authorities have slim chance of eradicating Vietnam's counterfeit market.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
The fake world has subsumed the real world, eradicating it and leaving nothing in its place.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
WHO has played a role in eradicating smallpox and tackling public health threats like polio, HIV, Ebola and tuberculosis.
From Barron's ● Mar. 17, 2026
Thus, Park Service biologists managed the wonderfully unusual accomplishment of discovering and eradicating in the same instant a new species of fish.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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.
