exterminate
verb
transitive verb
Did you know?
Originally, to exterminate something was to banish it or drive it away. And it is this meaning that can be found in the Latin origin of "exterminate." "Exterminate" comes from "exterminatus," the past participle of exterminare, meaning "to drive beyond the boundaries." The Latin word exterminare was formed from the prefix ex- ("out of" or "outside") and "terminus" ("boundary"). Not much more than a century after its introduction to English, "exterminate" came to denote destroying or utterly putting an end to something. And that's the use with which the word is usually employed today.
Synonyms
- abolish
- annihilate
- black out
- blot out
- cancel
- clean (up)
- efface
- eradicate
- erase
- expunge
- extirpate
- liquidate
- obliterate
- root (out)
- rub out
- snuff (out)
- stamp (out)
- sweep (away)
- wipe out
Example Sentences
Ashley Stimpson, Popular Mechanics, 31 Aug. 2022 It’s about a boy trying to survive in the 1930s during Soviet efforts to exterminate the Ukrainian people through starvation and other policies. Marc Bona, cleveland, 22 July 2022 The recordings, carried out in 1957, have Eichmann hailing his part in the Nazi attempt to exterminate the Jewish people. Abbas Al Lawati, CNN, 6 July 2022 China is not looking much better as growth has been hampered by its draconian efforts to exterminate the Coronavirus across the country under its zero-COVID policy. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 6 July 2022 Gorr is on a personal quest to exterminate all gods. Chris Smith, BGR, 30 May 2022 Per city and state housing rules, the board cannot abdicate its responsibility to exterminate. Ronda Kaysen, New York Times, 4 June 2022 Then there are the Ultron bots, which aren’t set out to exterminate the human race. Chris Smith, BGR, 11 May 2022 Ukrainian President Zelenskyy also accused Russia of trying to exterminate Ukrainians after Russian missile hit food and grain warehouses, while the United States denies any involvement in the sinking of a Russian fleet. Sarah Elbeshbishi, USA TODAY, 8 May 2022 See More Word History
Latin exterminatus, past participle of exterminare, from ex- + terminus boundary — more at term entry 1
1591, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
exterminate
verb
exterminate
verb
Synonyms & Similar Words
- eradicate
- erase
- abolish
- destroy
- extirpate
- obliterate
- annihilate
- expunge
- liquidate
- efface
- demolish
- wipe out
- kill
- cancel
- decimate
- blot out
- ravage
- shatter
- dismantle
- black out
- devastate
- ruin
- sweep (away)
- rub out
- raze
- discard
- consume
- snuff (out)
- stamp (out)
- flatten
- clean (up)
- atomize
- root (out)
- expel
- devour
- pulverize
- wreck
- zap
- total
- eject
- waste
- tear down
- smash
- fragment
- dissolve
- splinter
- dynamite
- oust
- terminate
- powder
- finish
- jettison
- doom
- kill off
- dash
- excise
- ditch
- mow (down)
- blast
- blow up
- throw out
- cut
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- protect
- preserve
- save
- conserve
- create
- build
- make
- construct
- manufacture
- form
- restore
- fabricate
- shape
- forge
- reconstruct
- rebuild
- fix
- renew
- repair
- frame
- patch
- mend
- renovate
- fashion
- recondition
- revamp
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of exterminate are eradicate, extirpate, and uproot. While all these words mean "to effect the destruction or abolition of something," exterminate implies complete and immediate extinction by killing off all individuals.
The meanings of eradicate and exterminate largely overlap; however, eradicate implies the driving out or elimination of something that has established itself.
The words extirpate and exterminate can be used in similar contexts, but extirpate implies extinction of a race, family, species, or sometimes an idea or doctrine by destruction or removal of its means of propagation.
In some situations, the words uproot and exterminate are roughly equivalent. However, uproot implies a forcible or violent removal and stresses displacement or dislodgment rather than immediate destruction.