obliterate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
obliterates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
obliterated,
past participle, past
-
obliterating
present participle
-
to remove or destroy all traces of; do away with; destroy completely.
-
to blot out or render undecipherable (writing, marks, etc.); efface.
- Synonyms:
- expunge
verb
Synonym Usage
See cancel.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
obliteratesimple
-
obliteratessimple
-
have obliteratedperfect
-
has obliteratedperfect
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am obliteratingprogressive
-
are obliteratingprogressive
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is obliteratingprogressive
-
have been obliteratingperfect progressive
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has been obliteratingperfect progressive
Past
-
obliteratedsimple
-
had obliteratedperfect
-
was obliteratingprogressive
-
were obliteratingprogressive
-
had been obliteratingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
When you see obliterate, think of evil alien invaders that zap a planet with a destructive ray. In one blast, the planet and all of the people on it are vaporized. The planet is truly obliterated, or completely wiped out. A long time ago, obliterate had to do with blotting out words on a page. This is why you see the word literate in there. Today it means to erase or destroy completely so that there is nothing left. While you can still obliterate text, you can also obliterate hope, an opponent, or all traces of your presence. Whatever you obliterate is completely gone.
Vocabulary lists containing obliterate
List 3
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The Lightning Thief
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This Week in Words: September 17 - 24, 2017
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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.
See Examples For:
“He had been president only thirteen days—and now he faced the prospect that to end the war and save American lives, he might have to obliterate Japan’s cities,” Mr. Scott writes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
A few pens have been left on the headstone, which has been replaced at least once; generations of fans have attempted to obliterate “Hughes.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026
If you not yet 65 and are using ACA coverage, Roth conversions can obliterate premium subsidies.
From MarketWatch ● May 8, 2026
Nearly 60 years later, Congress has done all it can to obliterate that mission.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2025
How difficult could it be to outshine, outsmart, and then obliterate her competitors?
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
But Mozart’s genius obliterates Salieri’s limited talent so utterly that the elder musician is bewitched by it.
From Salon ● May 16, 2026
“It’s still the most subversive comedy in ages, a smart bomb that obliterates its intended target.”
From Washington Times ● Dec. 3, 2023
“The objects we’re trying to study–distant galaxies and stars–are 20 million times fainter than satellites. So when one of these streaks goes across the image, it completely obliterates the image.”
From National Geographic ● Aug. 11, 2023
But a forced marriage of that sort obliterates the very brand that helped create the streaming business by making television what it is today.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2023
His most remarkable feature besides his paleness, a paleness that obliterates any possible expression, is his hair.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
Al-Dabba, who heads the Beekeepers Cooperative in the Gaza Strip, said the war which erupted in October 2023 obliterated the Palestinian territory's beekeeping culture.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
"There's different models that schools will use to try and make sure that young people are not having parts of the curriculum obliterated because you don't have those staff - but sometimes it's really difficult."
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
The world’s fastest human in the half-marathon is still just that, but the Ugandan’s record time of 57 minutes, 20 seconds, was obliterated Sunday in Beijing by a 5-foot-5 humanoid robot named Lightning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2026
This was the same nuclear program we were told had been obliterated 10 months ago in Operation Midnight Hammer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026
In the seventy-five years since the Dark Days—when 13 was said to have been obliterated in the war between the Capitol and the districts— almost all new construction has been beneath the earth’s surface.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe finished in 1:59:30, obliterating the previous record of 2:00:35 set at the 2023 Chicago Marathon by Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
The United States is the only country to have used nuclear weapons in combat, obliterating the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II, killing some 214,000 people.
From Barron's ● Apr. 23, 2026
Jamaica's Oblique Seville claimed a stunning victory in the men's 100m, obliterating a line-up featuring Olympic champion Noah Lyles by finishing in 9.86 secs.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2025
It may not even qualify as trash, but I remember Lost being a phenom when it was airing and its disastrous finale obliterating any goodwill it had built.
From Slate ● Dec. 28, 2024
At scim training, Zak comes at me with unusual sloppiness, but instead of obliterating him, I let him knock me on my ass because I’ve caught a glimpse of blonde across the field.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
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.
