eradicate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
eradicates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
eradicated,
past participle, past
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eradicating
present participle
-
to remove or destroy utterly; extirpate.
to eradicate smallpox throughout the world.
- Synonyms:
- annihilate, exterminate, uproot, obliterate
-
to erase by rubbing or by means of a chemical solvent.
to eradicate a spot.
-
to pull up by the roots.
to eradicate weeds.
verb
-
to obliterate; stamp out
-
to pull or tear up by the roots
Synonym Usage
See abolish.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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eradicationnoun
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eradicatornoun
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eradicableadjective
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eradicantadjective
-
eradicativeadjective
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noneradicativeadjective
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uneradicatedadjective
-
uneradicativeadjective
-
eradicablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
eradicatesimple
-
eradicatessimple
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have eradicatedperfect
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has eradicatedperfect
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am eradicatingprogressive
-
are eradicatingprogressive
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is eradicatingprogressive
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have been eradicatingperfect progressive
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has been eradicatingperfect progressive
Past
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eradicatedsimple
-
had eradicatedperfect
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was eradicatingprogressive
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were eradicatingprogressive
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had been eradicatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of eradicate
First recorded in 1555–65; from Latin ērādīcātus “rooted out” (past participle of ērādīcāre ), equivalent to ē- e- 1 + rādīc- (stem of rādīx ) root 1 + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
To eradicate something is to get rid of it, to destroy it, and to kiss it goodbye. Eradicate is from the Latin word eradicare meaning "to root out." When you yank that weed up by the roots, it has been eradicated; it's not coming back. Eradicate often means to kill a bunch of somethings, like what you want the poison to do to the roach family and their extended relatives living in your house, and what we thought we did to bedbugs. You can also eradicate corruption, poverty, or diseases. Although there are all kinds of things to get rid of, we usually want to only eradicate the bad things.
Vocabulary lists containing eradicate
The Maze Runner
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Donald Trump Inauguration Address- January 20, 2017
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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.
See Examples For:
“This is the policy that, if it is implemented, will actually eradicate deputy gangs in the Sheriff’s Department,” he said in an interview.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
In 2012, he teamed up with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to help eradicate polio in Nigeria.
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026
All to eradicate a supposed threat that he claimed he had “obliterated” a year earlier.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
In his successful campaign to retain power at this year's Holyrood election, the Scottish National Party leader repeated his "determination to eradicate child poverty."
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
The tiny robots are too small to see with the naked eye, but are capable of cooperating to eradicate any disease and to repair any damage done to the human body.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
Network Rail said the new system "eradicates the failure mechanisms of the past by providing complete separation of bimetallic elements and using a copper contact wire which improves current collection" from overhead wires by trains.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
While it’s not clear exactly how this happens, experts said that one explanation may be that exercise helps fight cancer by enhancing how the immune system targets and eradicates cancer cells.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 12, 2024
The immune system then recognizes and eradicates those spike proteins, thus learning how to defend against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2022
Johnson added, “It helps the drought but by no means eradicates the drought.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2022
“We believe that preparation eradicates cowardice, which we define as the failure to act in the midst of fear,” says Four.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
Holding would still happen - it cannot be eradicated from a contact sport - just not to the same extent.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
The New World screwworm, eradicated 60 years ago, has re-emerged in Texas cattle, threatening over $700 million in annual losses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
It’s also because after being eradicated in the United States in the 1960s, the flesh-eating screwworm is back: A few cases have emerged in Texas.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
Still, the resurgence of the parasite, which was eradicated in the U.S. in the 1960s, comes at a time when the cattle industry is already facing drought, tariff battles and other challenges.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026
So perhaps, you say hopefully, discrimination was practically eradicated during the twentieth century, like polio.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
"Thailand spent 15 years investing in alternative livelihood before starting eradicating," Ok Serei said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
Completely eradicating the paper check, however, would be a steep psychological hill to climb.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
“Chemotherapy is much more effective at eradicating minimal disease than it is macroscopic disease that you can already see on imaging.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
Nicola Sturgeon famously made eradicating the attainment gap her "top priority" back in 2016.
From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2026
Virtually every southern state was infested with Aedes aegypti, these experts pointed out, but funds would run out before the job of eradicating the mosquitoes was half completed.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
