definitions

pulverize

[ puhl-vuh-rahyz ]
/ ˈpʌl vəˌraɪz /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pulverize ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

RELATED WORDS

shatter, demolish, vaporize, annihilate, decimate, flatten, vanquish, crunch, pound, mull, buck, fragment, bray, splinter, fragmentize, grind, crush, beat, powder, granulate

Nearby words

pulsus rarus, pultaceous, pulu, pulv., pulverable, pulverize, pulverulent, pulvillus, pulvinar, pulvinate, pulvinus
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

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 Forms

pulverizable 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