Synonyms

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.

The way football is broadcast manages to obliterate any difference between an informal consumer and a face-painting fanatic.

From Los Angeles Times

If there were still any doubts that Major League Baseball was hurtling toward a labor meltdown next winter, they were obliterated on Thursday night.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the full force of energy bursting from Cyclops' visor should obliterate those cobwebs.

From BBC

During a 1987 trip back to Poland, he found that the cemetery where his grandparents were buried had been obliterated by a highway.

From The Wall Street Journal

It has been reported that discussions shifted to mitigating rather than obliterating the policy completely.

From BBC

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