exterminate

[ ik-stur-muh-neyt ]

verb (used with object)

, ex·ter·mi·nat·ed, ex·ter·mi·nat·ing.

1. to get rid of by destroying; destroy totally; extirpate:

   to exterminate an enemy; to exterminate insects.

   Synonyms: eliminate, annihilate, abolish, eradicate

exterminate

/ ɪkˈstɜːmɪˌneɪt /

verb

1. tr to destroy (living things, esp pests or vermin) completely; annihilate; eliminate

Derived Forms

• exˈterminative, adjective
• exˌtermiˈnation, noun
• exˈtermiˌnator, noun
• exˈterminable, adjective

Other Words From

• ex·ter·mi·na·ble [ik-, stur, -m, uh, -n, uh, -b, uh, l], adjective
• ex·termi·nation noun
• nonex·termi·nation noun
• self-ex·termi·nation noun
• unex·termi·na·ble adjective
• unex·termi·nated adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of exterminate¹

1535–45; < Latin exterminātus, past participle of extermināre to extermine; -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of exterminate¹

C16: from Latin extermināre to drive away, from terminus boundary

Example Sentences

Many of these scientists are fighting the very genetic diseases threatening to exterminate numbats.

From Singularity Hub 

His big winning idea was to exterminate poverty for 3 million elderly people in Korea by publishing an interactive research paper to influence Korean pension reform.

From Ozy

Fingers crossed that one of those over-the-air updates exterminates this bug without introducing something worse.

From Popular-Science

I should have voted for at least three presidential candidates at this point in my life, but that possibility where I come from was exterminated like a deadly pandemic.

From Washington Blade

Stamets’ other mushroom nostrums include dissolving petroleum waste, exterminating unwanted insects, and creating vaccines that can eradicate viruses.

From Nautilus

Next was World War II: machine enabled Hitler, who in turn attempted to exterminate an entire people.

From The Daily Beast

Riegner warned the Allies that Berlin had a plan to exterminate all Jews in countries occupied or controlled by Germany.

From The Daily Beast

I think your efforts also may rival that of Germany's Adolf Hitler in his attempt to exterminate an entire race of people.

From The Daily Beast

“We expect the regime to try to exterminate us all,” he said.

From The Daily Beast

Despite having the nickname “the exterminator,” DeLay did not try to exterminate wasteful spending when in power.

From The Daily Beast

There was not a moment to lose, for one well-directed shot might exterminate half of us.

From Project Gutenberg

From the very first of the war their work was to help exterminate the guerrilla bands which infested the State.

From Project Gutenberg

The regular troops, the constabulary, and other armed forces combined were unable to exterminate brigandage.

From Project Gutenberg

You like to divide yourselves into nations, to trick yourselves out in national costumes, and to exterminate each other to music!

From Project Gutenberg

Shepherds have entered into a conspiracy to exterminate the wolves.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• annihilate
• decimate
• eradicate
• extinguish
• obliterate
• slaughter
• stamp out
• wipe out