pulverize

[ puhl-vuh-rahyz ]

/ ˈpʌl vəˌraɪz /

verb (used with object), pul·ver·ized, pul·ver·iz·ing.

to reduce to dust or powder, as by pounding or grinding.

to demolish or crush completely.

Slang. to defeat, hurt badly, or, figuratively, render helpless: The Kid pulverized Jackson with a series of brutal lefts. He's a veteran nightclub comic who can pulverize any audience in seconds.

verb (used without object), pul·ver·ized, pul·ver·iz·ing.

to become reduced to dust.

Nearby words

Also especially British, pul·ver·ise.

Origin of pulverize

1575–85; < Late Latin pulverizāre to reduce to powder, equivalent to Latin pulver- (stem of pulvis; akin to pollen) dust + -izāre -ize

Related forms

pul·ver·iz·a·ble, adjectivepul·ver·i·za·tion, nounpul·ver·iz·er, nounsub·pul·ver·iz·er, noun

un·pul·ver·ized, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for pulverise

He rose at once in his anger to answer him, to smash and pulverise him.
The Strand Magazine, Volume I, Issue 2, February 1891|Various
High explosive of the kind the Germans use will pulverise the parapet of a trench and kill every one within reach.
On Land And Sea At The Dardanelles|Thomas Charles Bridges
Pulverise each of the ingredients separately, and then mix them thoroughly.
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II|Arnold Cooley
Here, clearly, the limit to which it is advisable to pulverise a soil had been exceeded.
Manures and the principles of manuring|Charles Morton Aikman

It is so soft that a gentle touch is sufficient to pulverise it.
The Jenolan Caves|Samuel Cook

British Dictionary definitions for pulverise

pulverize

pulverise

/ (ˈpʌlvəˌraɪz) /

verb

to reduce (a substance) to fine particles, as by crushing or grinding, or (of a substance) to be so reduced

(tr) to destroy completely; defeat or injure seriously

Derived Formspulverizable or pulverisable, adjectivepulverization or pulverisation, nounpulverizer or pulveriser, noun

Word Origin for pulverize

C16: from Late Latin pulverizare or French pulvériser, from Latin pulverum, from pulvis dust

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

Word Origin and History for pulverise

pulverise

chiefly British English spelling of pulverize (q.v.). Also see -ize. Related: Pulverised; pulverising; pulverisation.

pulverize

early 15c., from Late Latin pulverizare "reduce to powder or dust," from Latin pulvis (genitive pulveris) "dust, powder" (see pollen). Related: Pulverized; pulverizing.