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exterminate

[ ik-stur-muh-neyt ]
/ ɪkˈstɜr məˌneɪt /
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See synonyms for: exterminate / exterminates / extermination on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), ex·ter·mi·nat·ed, ex·ter·mi·nat·ing.

to get rid of by destroying; destroy totally; extirpate: to exterminate an enemy; to exterminate insects.

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Origin of exterminate

1535–45; <Latin exterminātus, past participle of extermināre to extermine; see -ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM exterminate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to exterminate

wipe out, annihilate, obliterate, stamp out, slaughter, decimate, extinguish, eradicate, execute, massacre, abolish, erase, extirpate, destroy, eliminate, do away with, rub out, blot out, finish off, put an end to

Example sentences from the Web for exterminate

British Dictionary definitions for exterminate

exterminate
/ (ɪkˈstɜːmɪˌneɪt) /

verb

(tr) to destroy (living things, esp pests or vermin) completely; annihilate; eliminate

Derived forms of exterminate

exterminable, adjectiveextermination, nounexterminative or exterminatory, adjectiveexterminator, noun

Word Origin for exterminate

C16: from Latin extermināre to drive away, from terminus boundary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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