eliminate

[ ih-lim-uh-neyt ]

verb (used with object)

, e·lim·i·nat·ed, e·lim·i·nat·ing.

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.

eliminate

/ 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

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

Derived Forms

• eˈliminant, noun
• eˈlimiˌnator, noun
• eˌliminaˈbility, noun
• eˈliminable, adjective
• eˈliminative, adjective

Other Words From

• e·lim·i·na·bil·i·ty [ih-lim-, uh, -n, uh, -, bil, -i-tee], noun
• e·limi·native adjective
• none·limi·native adjective
• pree·limi·nate verb (used with object) preeliminated preeliminating
• une·limi·nated adjective
• well-e·limi·nated adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of eliminate¹

First recorded in 1560–70 and in 1915–20 eliminate fordef 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; e- ¹, -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of eliminate¹

C16: from Latin ēlīmināre to turn out of the house, from e- out + līmen threshold

Example Sentences

In horse racing, Black jockeys won more than half of the Kentucky Derby held from 1875 to 1903 — until Jim Crow eliminated the Black jockey.

From Salon

Any effort to reduce or eliminate chemical additives in foods would require experienced staffers to draft new rules and shepherd them through the required regulatory process, said Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group.

From Los Angeles Times

Ramaswamy, who has backed eliminating the tax-collecting agency, the IRS, and the Department of Education, among others, wrote after the announcement: “Shut it down.”

From BBC

John said these findings suggest that the standard intravenous and oral treatment lowers the parasite level to where it cannot be detected by microscopy, but it does not completely eliminate the parasite in some children.

From Science Daily

“With continued consultation, tribes can lead initiatives to eliminate such words from California’s public places.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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