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
pulu, pulv., pulverable, pulverise, pulverization, pulverize, pulverulent, pulvillus, pulvinar, pulvinate, pulvinus
Also especially British, pul·ver·ise.
Origin of pulverize
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for pulverize
British Dictionary definitions for pulverize
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
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Word Origin and History for pulverize
pulverize
early 15c., from Late Latin pulverizare "reduce to powder or dust," from Latin pulvis (genitive pulveris) "dust, powder" (see pollen). Related: Pulverized; pulverizing.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper