pulverize
Americanverb (used with object)
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to reduce to dust or powder, as by pounding or grinding.
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to demolish or crush completely.
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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)
verb
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to reduce (a substance) to fine particles, as by crushing or grinding, or (of a substance) to be so reduced
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(tr) to destroy completely; defeat or injure seriously
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have pulverizedperfect
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has pulverizedperfect 3rd person singular
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is pulverizingprogressive 3rd person singular
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am pulverizingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been pulverizingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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are pulverizingprogressive
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have been pulverizingperfect progressive
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pulverizingparticiple
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pulverizessingular 3rd person
Past
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had pulverizedperfect
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were pulverizingprogressive plural
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had been pulverizingperfect progressive
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was pulverizingprogressive singular
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pulverizedparticiple
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pulverizedsimple
Future
Etymology
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
Explanation
When you pulverize something, you break it up until it becomes dust or powder. You might pulverize coffee beans in a grinder, running it until the coffee turns to powder. Pulvis is the Latin word for "dust." When something is turned into dust, often it becomes useless. That's why pulverize can also mean "to destroy or demolish." Construction crews pulverize a building using wrecking balls and sometimes even explosives. The materials left behind are broken into such small parts that they can't be salvaged for other uses.
Vocabulary lists containing pulverize
The Lightning Thief
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List 2
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Hatchet
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Back when McIlroy first rose to stardom, he turned heads with his ability to pulverize the ball.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026
Instead of run-and-jump challenges, Donkey Kong here has the ability to pulverize his surroundings, exploring worlds by pounding holes in the ground or destroying the walls.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2025
"Because there is more comet dust closer to the Sun, we had expected collisions there would pulverize the pebbles that much faster," says Jenniskens.
From Science Daily • Mar. 21, 2024
Despite the moving pieces, UW’s offensive line continues to plug, play and pulverize.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 25, 2023
Every time I got on the mat, Clarisse would pulverize me.
From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
