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)
Examples of annihilate in a Sentence
The enemy troops were annihilated.
He annihilated his opponent in the last election.
Recent Examples on the Web
The horrendous Pacific Palisades fire annihilated huge swaths of the surrounding community and burned some of the Getty Villa’s grounds.
—
Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2025
Fans of the 49ers will have to recognize that the Eagles just annihilated an opponent in the Chiefs that has been the bane of their existence since Shanahan arrived.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2025
One other central, if not overriding, purpose of Holocaust remembrance, however, must be to think of the millions who were annihilated not as impersonal statistics but as individuals with names, faces, identities, dreams, and emotions.
—Menachem Z. Rosensaft, TIME, 27 Jan. 2025
What happens after everything is annihilated doesn’t offer much in the way of narrative potential.
—Jennifer Szalai, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for annihilate
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Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2025
Fans of the 49ers will have to recognize that the Eagles just annihilated an opponent in the Chiefs that has been the bane of their existence since Shanahan arrived.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2025
One other central, if not overriding, purpose of Holocaust remembrance, however, must be to think of the millions who were annihilated not as impersonal statistics but as individuals with names, faces, identities, dreams, and emotions.
—Menachem Z. Rosensaft, TIME, 27 Jan. 2025
What happens after everything is annihilated doesn’t offer much in the way of narrative potential.
—Jennifer Szalai, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for annihilate
Cite this Entry
“Annihilate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/annihilate. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
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