obliterate

American

[uh-blit-uh-reyt] / əˈblɪt əˌreɪt /

verb (used with object)

obliterated, obliterating

to remove or destroy all traces of; do away with; destroy completely.
to blot out or render undecipherable (writing, marks, etc.); efface.

Synonyms:

expunge

obliterate British

/ əˈblɪtəˌreɪt /

verb

(tr) to destroy every trace of; wipe out completely

"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

Related Words

See cancel.

Other Word Forms

obliterable adjective
obliteration noun
obliterative adjective
obliterator noun

Etymology

Origin of obliterate

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin oblitterātus “effaced,” past participle of oblitterāre “to efface, cause to be forgotten,” equivalent to ob- ob- + litter(a) letter ¹ + -āre, infinitive verb suffix

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.

With the Lake Avenue property obliterated, it now operates out of Pasadena’s McKinley School.

From Los Angeles Times

Islamic State emerged in Syria and Iraq in 2014 where it quickly seized control of vast areasbefore being almost completely obliterated five years later in a U.S.-backed counterterrorism operation.

From The Wall Street Journal

"It was a crazy game. The defences have been obliterated. It was absolute madness."

From BBC

Huge swaths of forest were logged and cleared out, obliterating vast areas and rendering them unsuitable for panda habitat.

From Literature

The explosion obliterated a coral island in Bikini Atoll, sucking millions of tons of coral dust into the sky.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023