exterminate
verb (used with object)
to get rid of by destroying; destroy totally; extirpate.
had exterminated
-
past perfectof exterminate.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
Within a few months, Knipling had exterminated the island’s native screwworm population—a full-blown screwworm massacre.
From Slate ● Jan. 29, 2016
This summer, Ms. Browne snapped a photo of one of the insects on a file cabinet to prove that they still roamed the office after the company said it had exterminated.
From New York Times ● Nov. 27, 2015
Only after the first Polynesian settlers had exterminated moas and decimated seal populations on New Zealand, and exterminated or decimated seabirds and land birds on other Polynesian islands, did they intensify their food production.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
And his explanation of the failure to apprehend the central figure of the tragedies which had exterminated the house of Coverly was a curious one.
From The Green Eyes of Bâst by Sax Rohmer
The various guilds and societies were prospering, and following Margaret's pet motto "Pro Bono Publico," had exterminated private quarrels and instituted the most business-like proceedings and the strictest civility at committee meetings.
From The Luckiest Girl in the School by Angela Brazil
