extirpated
Americanadjective
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having been destroyed or removed.
Histological examination determined that all the extirpated tumors were meningiomas.
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Biology. (of a species) no longer found in a given area; locally or regionally extinct.
In the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the James River is the last confirmed holdout for the nearly extirpated Atlantic sturgeon.
The successful reintroduction of an extirpated species such as the scarlet ibis indicates that it may be possible to recover at least part of the original biota of the region.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of extirpated
First recorded in 1695–1705; extirpate ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; extirpate ( def. ) + -ed 1 ( def. ) for the verb sense
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.
In recent decades, sightings were rare and Florida classified them extirpated, insisting that any spotted in nature were escapees from zoos or sanctuaries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
Wildlife officials have collared a dozen gray wolves in Northern California in an effort to better understand and manage the species that has made a comeback in the state after being extirpated a century ago.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2025
"Jaguars were nearly, but never fully, extirpated from this region," McSpadden explained, adding that they are "tenacious" animals, and populations from northern Mexico have always strayed across the U.S.-Mexico border from time to time.
From Salon ● May 31, 2024
Things have changed a lot since the bears were functionally extirpated from the area.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 26, 2023
In the United States the reward is fifteen and twenty dollars a head, and from their new settlements the wolves are quickly extirpated.
From Sketches in Canada, and rambles among the red men by Jameson, Mrs. (Anna)
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.
