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exterminate

[ ik-stur-muh-neyt ]
/ ɪkˈstɜr məˌneɪt /
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See synonyms for: exterminate / exterminated / 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. 2023

Words related to exterminate

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

How to use exterminate in a sentence

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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