definitions

obliterate

[ uh-blit-uh-reyt ]
/ əˈblɪt əˌreɪt /
|

verb (used with object), ob·lit·er·at·ed, ob·lit·er·at·ing.

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

RELATED CONTENT

Word Trends: Cattywampus, Tantrum, BootySome words, such as affect, metaphor, and irony, hold relatively steady in lookups at Dictionary.com regardless of what’s happening in pop culture, politics, or social media. Other words shift wildly in rank and volume, often as a ripple effect of a news item or event that has piqued people’s curiosity—we call those trending words. Here are few of our favorite trending words from the week …
READ MORE

Nearby words

oblique triangle, oblique vein of left atrium, oblique-slip fault, obliquely, obliquity, obliterate, obliterating endarteritis, obliteration, obliterative bronchitis, oblivescence, oblivion

Origin of obliterate

1590–1600; < Latin oblitterātus (past participle of oblitterāre, efface, cause to be forgotten), equivalent to ob- ob- + litter(a) letter1 + -ātus -ate1

SYNONYMS FOR obliterate

2 expunge.

Related forms

ob·lit·er·a·ble [uh-blit-er-uh-buhl] /əˈblɪt ər ə bəl/, adjectiveo·blit·er·a·tor, nounhalf-ob·lit·er·at·ed, adjectiveun·ob·lit·er·at·ed, adjective

Synonym study

2. See cancel.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for obliterator

obliterate

/ (əˈblɪtəˌreɪt) /

verb

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

Derived Forms

obliteration, nounobliterative, adjectiveobliterator, noun

Word Origin for obliterate

C16: from Latin oblitterāre to erase, from ob- out + littera letter
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

Medicine definitions for obliterator

obliterate

[ ə-blĭt′ə-rāt′, ō-blĭt′- ]

v.

To remove an organ or another body part completely, as by surgery, disease, or radiation.
To blot out, especially through filling of a natural space by fibrosis or inflammation.

Related forms

o•blit′er•a′tion n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.