eliminate

American  

[ih-lim-uh-neyt] / ɪˈlɪm əˌneɪt /

verb (used with object)

• eliminates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• eliminated,
  past participle,  past
• eliminating
  present participle

1. to remove or get rid of, especially as being in some way undesirable.

   to eliminate risks; to eliminate hunger.

   Synonyms:

   annihilate, exterminate, erase, eradicate, abolish, banish

   Antonyms:

   invite, get, obtain

2. to omit, especially as being unimportant or irrelevant; leave out.

   I have eliminated all statistical tables, which are of interest only to the specialist.

   Synonyms:

   exclude, except, delete, drop

   Antonyms:

   incorporate, admit, accept, include

3. to remove from further consideration or competition, especially by defeating in a contest.

4. to eradicate or kill.

   to eliminate the enemy.

5. Physiology. to void or expel from an organism.

6. Mathematics. to remove (a quantity) from an equation by elimination.

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eliminate British  

/ ɪˈlɪmɪˌneɪt /

verb

1. to remove or take out; get rid of

2. to reject as trivial or irrelevant; omit from consideration

3. to remove (a competitor, team, etc) from a contest, usually by defeat

4. slang to murder in a cold-blooded manner

5. physiol to expel (waste matter) from the body

6. maths to remove (an unknown variable) from two or more simultaneous equations

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Usage

Eliminate is sometimes wrongly used to talk about avoiding the repetition of something undesirable: we must prevent (not eliminate ) further mistakes of this kind

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• eliminability
  noun
• eliminant
  noun
• eliminator
  noun
• preeliminate
  verb (used with object)
• eliminable
  adjective
• eliminative
  adjective
• noneliminative
  adjective
• uneliminated
  adjective
• well-eliminated
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• eliminating
  present
• eliminated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• eliminate
  simple
• eliminates
  simple
• have eliminated
  perfect
• has eliminated
  perfect
• am eliminating
  progressive
• are eliminating
  progressive
• is eliminating
  progressive
• have been eliminating
  perfect progressive
• has been eliminating
  perfect progressive

Past

• eliminated
  simple
• had eliminated
  perfect
• was eliminating
  progressive
• were eliminating
  progressive
• had been eliminating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will eliminate
  simple
• will have eliminated
  perfect
• will be eliminating
  progressive
• will have been eliminating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of eliminate

First recorded in 1560–70 and in 1915–20 eliminate for def. 4; from Latin ēlīminātus “turned out of doors” (past participle of ēlīmināre ), equivalent to ē- “from, out of” + līmin-, stem of līmen “threshold” + -ātus adjective suffix; see e- ¹, -ate ¹

Explanation

As eliminate means "get rid of or do away with," it has become used to refer to the end of a problem or even an entire species. We need to eliminate sources of pollution in order to maintain a healthy world. The original literal meaning of eliminate was "to thrust over the threshold and out of doors, to kick out," but the 18th century saw the word expand to mean "to exclude," and later to ridding the body of waste. The verb then came to refer to getting rid of anything, such as a problem or foul odor. The word took an ominous turn in the 20th century, when we saw man-made pollution eliminate whole species, and war, hate, and famine nearly eliminate whole groups of people.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

eliminate eliminates eliminated eliminating

If upheld, the immunity would eliminate a pending tax liability estimated at $100 million.

From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026

“Ultimately, it is obvious that this motion falls into the category of a ‘Hail Mary’ attempt to eliminate a strong witness for the plaintiffs,” Gonzalez Rogers wrote.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

If lawmakers were to eliminate the cap, they’d have to decide how to treat Social Security benefits.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

The consensus profits tallied by Wall Street analysts, often called “Street earnings,” typically exist to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Unlike other forms of Internet overinvestment, it was permanent: Once the fiber cables were laid, no one was going to dig them up and thereby eliminate the overcapacity.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman

Switching to the Sport drive mode eliminates the tip-in latency and allows the engine to sustain high revs longer before the transmission upshifts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

Disney’s current proposal also eliminates Easter as a paid holiday, the union said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Slaughter disrupts this design and largely eliminates its incentives for bipartisanship.

From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2026

Another provision eliminates a requirement that manufactured homes be built on a permanent chassis, which is expected to lower the cost of such homes.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026

Turns out being on the surface of Mars for a few million years eliminates all the water in the soil.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

She recruited more women, eliminated a previous gender pay gap and proposed daycare centers at the company’s main sites—an idea thwarted by security concerns.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

The strategy you describe — claiming 50% of your spouse’s benefit at 62 and your own larger benefit at a later date — was largely eliminated by Congress in 2015.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

While he was eliminated on the first night, he was a beloved participant for his charming, down-to-earth personality as a grocery store owner from Chicago, earning him the nickname “Grocery Store Joe.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

In a match between two eliminated sides, Livingstone hit 66 from 30 balls, while Brevis struck an unbeaten 55 from 31 as Spirit passed their target of 163 with 18 balls to spare.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

From that point forward, the old setup would be replaced with a series of matches of ten or twelve games each between the eight individual contestants, with the loser of each match being eliminated.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

In an email, a Netflix spokesperson said it is eliminating roles because the company believes it can operate more strategically and efficiently in its games business.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

For example, eliminating the tax cap could increase marginal tax rates on labor income in high-tax states, including New York, California and Oregon, which could discourage workers from earning more.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

A rule might involve reversing the digits or eliminating numbers above a certain value.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

For others it is eliminating their food or their homes.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

“We will most likely be eliminating that as a food source for good. But you found other edible things in the jungle, right, Katniss?”

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

Related Words

• cancel
• defeat
• dispose of
• disqualify
• eradicate
• erase
• exclude
• get rid of
• ignore
• knock out
• oust
• phase out
• stamp out
• waive
• wipe out