annihilate
verb
an·ni·hi·late
ə-ˈnī-ə-ˌlāt 
annihilated; annihilating
1
a
: to cause to cease to exist : to do away with entirely so that nothing remains
b
: to destroy a considerable part of
Bombs annihilated the city.
The enemy troops were annihilated.
c
: to defeat overwhelmingly : rout
annihilated the visitors 56–0
2
a
: to cause to be of no effect : nullify
a right to freedom that cannot be annihilated
b
: to destroy the substance or force of
Fear can annihilate one's confidence.
3
: to regard as of no consequence
4
: to cause (something, such as a particle and its antiparticle) to vanish or cease to exist by coming together and changing into other forms of energy (such as photons)
matter and antimatter annihilate each other
of a particle and its antiparticle
: to vanish or cease to exist by coming together and changing into other forms of energy (such as photons)
Synonyms
Examples of annihilate in a Sentence
The enemy troops were annihilated.
He annihilated his opponent in the last election.
Recent Examples on the Web
Colorado was getting annihilated every week under Karl Dorrell.
—
Chris Vannini, The Athletic, 26 Aug. 2024
The reason is clear: most Americans understand that Israel is fighting for its very survival against terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, whose explicit mission is to annihilate Israel.
—Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024
This movie is about an oceanside town in Maryland that gets annihilated by huge lice that started by taking out marine life and have now found their way into humans.
—Jordan Crucchiola, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2024
The tribes which occupied the countries now constituting the Eastern States were annihilated or have melted away to make room for the whites.
—Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 27 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for annihilate 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Chris Vannini, The Athletic, 26 Aug. 2024
The reason is clear: most Americans understand that Israel is fighting for its very survival against terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, whose explicit mission is to annihilate Israel.
—Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024
This movie is about an oceanside town in Maryland that gets annihilated by huge lice that started by taking out marine life and have now found their way into humans.
—Jordan Crucchiola, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2024
The tribes which occupied the countries now constituting the Eastern States were annihilated or have melted away to make room for the whites.
—Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 27 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for annihilate
Dictionary Entries Near annihilate
Cite this Entry
“Annihilate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/annihilate. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share