eradicate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
eradicates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
eradicated,
past participle, past
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eradicating
present participle
-
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
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to obliterate; stamp out
-
to pull or tear up by the roots
Synonym Usage
See abolish.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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eradicationnoun
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eradicatornoun
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eradicableadjective
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eradicantadjective
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eradicativeadjective
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noneradicativeadjective
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uneradicatedadjective
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uneradicativeadjective
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eradicablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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eradicatesimple
-
eradicatessimple
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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
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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:
There aren’t many of those critters in the Golden State and, when they’re found, officials seek to eradicate them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Quiñonez, 30, has been campaigning to eradicate the practice in Colombia - where it is still practised by members of her Emberá Indigenous community.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Official data from the first quarter of 2026 shows that deforestation is at its lowest-ever rate this decade, with Lula pledging to eradicate the practice by 2030.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 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
For a brief moment, he thought that he might try to use his gift, to call forth the vibrating power and eradicate the stinging poisonous rash on his arms.
From "Messenger" by Lois Lowry
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
Users must then push down on the lid to activate the technology, which the company claims eradicates more or less all bacteria and viruses in 60 seconds.
From BBC ● May 28, 2020
“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
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
In the US, the parasite was considered eradicated in 1966 but there have been cases since, including an outbreak in the 1970s.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 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
Since eradicating its last ASF outbreak, three decades ago, Spain's pork industry has grown enormously, to become the biggest in Europe with a value of €25bn.
From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2026
“The task of eradicating the soil and conditions that breed corruption is still arduous.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 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.
