eradicate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
eradicates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
eradicated,
past participle, past
-
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
-
eradicableadjective
-
eradicantadjective
-
eradicativeadjective
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noneradicativeadjective
-
uneradicatedadjective
-
uneradicativeadjective
-
eradicablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
eradicatesimple
-
eradicatessimple
-
have eradicatedperfect
-
has eradicatedperfect
-
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
-
was eradicatingprogressive
-
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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100 SAT Words Beginning with "E"
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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
“We are here to eradicate mass shootings in American schools.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
“It’s highly toxic. I gathered it so we’d know how to eradicate it, for the Collective.”
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
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
This “Dune” almost completely eradicates the arid, meandering vision and miscues of David Lynch’s 1984 film adaptation.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 20, 2022
AI gets a lot of attention for the jobs it eradicates.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 31, 2018
“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
A flesh-eating parasitic fly is once again threatening the nation’s livestock, after being eradicated from the U.S. six decades ago.
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
It was important, Dumbledore said, to fight, and fight again, and keep fighting, for only then could evil be kept at bay, though never quite eradicated...
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
"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
The UK also has a goal of eradicating cervical cancer by 2040, but has faced similar struggles - both HPV vaccination and cervical screening coverage have declined over recent years.
From BBC ● May 1, 2026
The fake world has subsumed the real world, eradicating it and leaving nothing in its place.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 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.
