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
-
am obliteratingprogressive
-
are obliteratingprogressive
-
is obliteratingprogressive
-
have been obliteratingperfect progressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Lightning Thief
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
This Week in Words: September 17 - 24, 2017
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Fox finally broke through with two PGA Tour wins last year, and the one asset he always possessed was the ability to obliterate drives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 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
But now satellite images reveal that Iran is repairing the damage done, suggesting he didn’t obliterate the sites after all.
From Slate ● Feb. 6, 2026
With his one hand it would be possible in seconds to squeeze Hatsue’s letter into motes of dust and obliterate its message forever.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
“He obliterates the rest of the skill position guys,” said Mickey Marotti, the Buckeyes’ strength and performance coach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
For the sake of one great moment, she’ll ask us to forget all the other ones it obliterates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2025
Was it because, while each character dresses conservatively, Flo’s wardrobe obliterates any trace of curves by sheathing her in a bulky apron?
From New York Times ● Dec. 28, 2023
“It’s still the most subversive comedy in ages, a smart bomb that obliterates its intended target.”
From Washington Times ● Dec. 3, 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
Any hope Infantino might have had of tiptoeing away from the scene of his World Cup private-investment wreckage having sustained only minor damage to his reputation has been obliterated.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush — a man whose own presidential campaign was obliterated by a reality TV host — called a Pratt campaign video “maybe the best political ad of the year.”
From Salon ● May 18, 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
A fox had been going about its life here, and some humans had obliterated that life—wasn’t that enough of an outrage?
From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker
Dean commanded the No. 1 song and album in New Zealand for more than 22 weeks, obliterating a record previously held by Abba.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 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
Live performances rooted in the Black experience, and scripted by Strachan, take place among museum visitors, obliterating the divide between art and spectator.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2025
He was docked $30,000 for unsportsmanlike behaviour and another $12,500 for obliterating a racket against a chair.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2025
It was during an obliterating drought, and amid the dust and heat Dudley and his partner searched a clapboard house where the two wanted men were believed to be hiding out.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
