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pulverize

[ puhl-vuh-rahyz ]
/ ˈpʌl vəˌraɪz /
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See synonyms for: pulverize / pulverized / pulverizable 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.
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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

OTHER WORDS FROM pulverize

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to pulverize

shatter, annihilate, decimate, demolish, flatten, vanquish, vaporize, abrade, atomize, beat, bray, buck, comminute, crumble, crunch, crush, flour, fragment, fragmentize, granulate

How to use pulverize in a sentence

  • The Russian tea machine and the steam pulverizer (atomizer) are effective but only for a short time.

    Scientific American Supplement, No. 392, July 7, 1883|Various

  • I cultivate thoroughly, plowing until the soil is doubled, and then use the disc pulverizer.

    The Apple|Various

  • A knife-edge weeder makes the best dust mulch pulverizer for orchard work or when preparing a seed-bed for grain.

    Farm Mechanics|Herbert A. Shearer

  • His voice was high, sweet and loud; his handshake was a knuckle pulverizer.

    The Sin of Monsieur Pettipon|Richard Connell

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 of pulverize

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
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