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
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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
If you not yet 65 and are using ACA coverage, Roth conversions can obliterate premium subsidies.
From MarketWatch ● May 8, 2026
But as the years and resentments pile on, their cancerous brotherhood threatens to obliterate them both.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026
Nearly 60 years later, Congress has done all it can to obliterate that mission.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2025
So long as I do not know his name perhaps I may still forget him, time will obliterate it, this picture.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
“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
“It’s still the most subversive comedy in ages, a smart bomb that obliterates its intended target.”
From Washington Times ● Dec. 3, 2023
In time, though, Tomas doesn’t just cross a line but obliterates it, moving in with Agathe and saying adieu to Martin for good — or so he thinks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2023
"What we now know as Precision Scheduled Railroading just obliterates our normal working agreements," said Burrows, a member of Railroad Workers United.
From Salon ● Jul. 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
McKibbin said that "current and future fish stocks obliterated for years to come".
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
As a child of refugees from Hitler’s Germany and the descendent of a once-large family tree, many of whose branches were obliterated by the Holocaust, Mr. Moritz registered the diagnosis with mordant irony.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
The village of Dhunge, once home to roughly 150 families, now lies in ruins, reduced to a swampy expanse with an ominous rotting stench -- one of dozens of settlements obliterated by the Himalayan floods.
From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026
The situation has grown bleaker in the last decade and a half as commercial pressures have ramped up and media consolidation and digital shortsightedness have obliterated arts coverage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
There are whispers that without Lucera, the murals that are touched with shadowshaper magic will eventually fade and the connection to the spirits will be obliterated.
From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older
After obliterating Inter Milan 5-0 in the 2025 final before squeezing past Arsenal on penalties in last season's showpiece game, Luis Enrique's side are aiming to win a third consecutive European crown.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
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
He might claim a victory in terms of obliterating — or, I guess, ‘re-obliterating’ — Iran’s nuclear program and downgrading its ballistic missiles.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2026
The arrow hit the absolute center, obliterating the black dot.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
