eliminate

American  

[ih-lim-uh-neyt] / ɪˈlɪm əˌneɪt /

verb (used with object)

eliminates, present (3rd person singular) eliminated, past participle, past eliminating present participle

1. to remove or get rid of, especially as being in some way undesirable.

   to eliminate risks; to eliminate hunger.

   Synonyms:

   annihilate, exterminate, erase, eradicate, abolish, banish

   Antonyms:

   invite, get, obtain

2. to omit, especially as being unimportant or irrelevant; leave out.

   I have eliminated all statistical tables, which are of interest only to the specialist.

   Synonyms:

   exclude, except, delete, drop

   Antonyms:

   incorporate, admit, accept, include

3. to remove from further consideration or competition, especially by defeating in a contest.

4. to eradicate or kill.

   to eliminate the enemy.

5. Physiology. to void or expel from an organism.

6. Mathematics. to remove (a quantity) from an equation by elimination.

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eliminate British  

/ ɪˈlɪmɪˌneɪt /

verb

1. to remove or take out; get rid of

2. to reject as trivial or irrelevant; omit from consideration

3. to remove (a competitor, team, etc) from a contest, usually by defeat

4. slang to murder in a cold-blooded manner

5. physiol to expel (waste matter) from the body

6. maths to remove (an unknown variable) from two or more simultaneous equations

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Usage

Eliminate is sometimes wrongly used to talk about avoiding the repetition of something undesirable: we must prevent (not eliminate ) further mistakes of this kind

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• eliminability
  noun
• eliminant
  noun
• eliminator
  noun
• preeliminate
  verb (used with object)
• eliminable
  adjective
• eliminative
  adjective
• noneliminative
  adjective
• uneliminated
  adjective
• well-eliminated
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• eliminating
  present
• eliminated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• eliminate
  simple
• eliminates
  simple
• have eliminated
  perfect
• has eliminated
  perfect
• am eliminating
  progressive
• are eliminating
  progressive
• is eliminating
  progressive
• have been eliminating
  perfect progressive
• has been eliminating
  perfect progressive

Past

• eliminated
  simple
• had eliminated
  perfect
• was eliminating
  progressive
• were eliminating
  progressive
• had been eliminating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will eliminate
  simple
• will have eliminated
  perfect
• will be eliminating
  progressive
• will have been eliminating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of eliminate

First recorded in 1560–70 and in 1915–20 eliminate for def. 4; from Latin ēlīminātus “turned out of doors” (past participle of ēlīmināre ), equivalent to ē- “from, out of” + līmin-, stem of līmen “threshold” + -ātus adjective suffix; see e- ¹, -ate ¹

Explanation

As eliminate means "get rid of or do away with," it has become used to refer to the end of a problem or even an entire species. We need to eliminate sources of pollution in order to maintain a healthy world. The original literal meaning of eliminate was "to thrust over the threshold and out of doors, to kick out," but the 18th century saw the word expand to mean "to exclude," and later to ridding the body of waste. The verb then came to refer to getting rid of anything, such as a problem or foul odor. The word took an ominous turn in the 20th century, when we saw man-made pollution eliminate whole species, and war, hate, and famine nearly eliminate whole groups of people.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

eliminate eliminates eliminated eliminating

One way to support her would be to eliminate some of the legwork.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

This place has an odd, accommodating kinship with these prehistoric monsters, a willingness to coexist rather than eliminate what would kill us.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

Since taking office, Warsh has vowed to reduce or eliminate the amount of forward guidance the Fed provides on its decision-making process, a move that has received mixed reactions.

From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026

WGA head Tom Fontana previously warned it would suppress wages and eliminate opportunities for up-and-coming writers.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

So in a land which nature found suited to grass growing mixed with and under the shelter of sage, it is now proposed to eliminate the sage and create unbroken grassland.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Although sodium-ion batteries cost more than lithium ones, Mossburg said their battery systems still save customers money: The technology does not heat up like lithium, so it eliminates the need for expensive cooling technology.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

Slaughter disrupts this design and largely eliminates its incentives for bipartisanship.

From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2026

It eliminates an expensive requirement to build manufactured housing on permanent steel frames, streamlines environmental reviews, and incentivizes cities to provide preapproved home designs, which will simplify things for governments, regulators, and builders.

From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026

The agreement reached Wednesday eliminates remaining import duties on U.S. industrial goods and reduces duties for certain seafood and agricultural products.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026

One of the things I thank Dauntless for is the preparedness that eliminates my fear.

From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth

Safe and effective vaccines have been widely available since the 1960s; by 2000, the U.S. declared measles eliminated here.

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

By 2000, Congress had eliminated both, citing concerns that the restrictions were complex to administer and could stifle savings or penalize successful investment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Researchers found that gaining coverage improved access to care reduced depression and nearly eliminated catastrophic medical bills.

From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026

No other team has eliminated Mexico as many times in a World Cup.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

Even what little water and calories the body had taken in had to be eliminated.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Eala, 21, went the farthest any Filipina had gone in a Grand Slam event, reaching the fourth round and eliminating defending champion Iga Swiatek of Poland along the way.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

“President Trump is asking all trading partners to join the United States in eliminating forced labor from global supply chains,” said a statement from Greer’s office.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

Were Congress to adopt permanent daylight saving time year-round, eliminating the need to change the clocks twice a year, Los Angeles would see its latest sunrise of the year at 8 a.m.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

It’s important to note that many of these foods play important roles in our diet, so eliminating them entirely isn’t beneficial in the long-run.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

I advanced through my bracket, eliminating some heavy hitters on the world circuit, including my teammate Dagmara, by a wide margin.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

Related Words

• cancel
• defeat
• dispose of
• disqualify
• eradicate
• erase
• exclude
• get rid of
• ignore
• knock out
• oust
• phase out
• stamp out
• waive
• wipe out