obliterate

verb

oblit·​er·​ate ə-ˈbli-tə-ˌrāt How to pronounce obliterate (audio)
ō-
obliterated; obliterating

transitive verb

1
a
: to remove utterly from recognition or memory
… a successful love crowned all other successes and obliterated all other failures.J. W. Krutch
b
: to remove from existence : destroy utterly all trace, indication, or significance of
The tide eventually obliterated all evidence of our sandcastles.
c
medical : to cause (something, such as a bodily part, a scar, or a duct conveying body fluid) to disappear or collapse : remove sense 4
a blood vessel obliterated by inflammation
2
: to make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring or wearing away
A dimness like a fog envelops consciousness / As mist obliterates a crag.Emily Dickinson
3
: cancel sense 2
obliterate a postage stamp
obliteration noun
obliterator noun

Did you know?

Obliterate has been preserved in our language for centuries, and that’s not nothing! The earliest evidence in our files traces obliterate back to the mid-16th century as a word for removing something from memory. Soon after, English speakers began to use it for the specific act of blotting out or obscuring anything written, and eventually its meaning was generalized to removing anything from existence. In the meantime, physicians began using obliterate for the surgical act of filling or closing up a vessel, cavity, or passage with tissue, which would then cause the bodily part to collapse or disappear. Today obliterate thrives in the English lexicon with the various senses it has acquired over the years, including its final stamp on the language: “to cancel (something, especially a postage stamp).”

Examples of obliterate in a Sentence

in a stroke, the March snowstorm obliterated our hopes for an early spring
Recent Examples on the Web As The Verge’s Nilay Patel and Sarah Jeong recently discussed on the Decoder podcast, the cases have the potential to upend or even obliterate the nascent industry. Wes Davis, The Verge, 27 Feb. 2024 Freedom of assembly has been obliterated, with nearly 20,000 Russians detained for their antiwar stance. Paul Sonne, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2024 Viewership during last year’s NCAA basketball tournament obliterated the previous high, with the final between Clark’s Iowa team and LSU alone watched by almost 10 million people. Caitlin Clark, USA TODAY, 16 Feb. 2024 Palestinians once saw Rafah as a last refuge, somewhere that had at least a morsel of the basic infrastructure and aid that has been obliterated elsewhere. Alexander Smith, NBC News, 14 Feb. 2024 Based on a sketch from the ESPN+ show Eli's Places, the half-hour comedy will follow Russ Holliday (Powell), a high-profile college QB who obliterates his own career with bad behavior. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 22 Feb. 2024 The trailer also teases new battle sequences taking place in New York City and Washington, D.C. — including a rocket launch obliterating the Lincoln Memorial. J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 20 Feb. 2024 The same Russian approach – to obliterate everything in the way – eventually worked in 2022 in the cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk. Tim Lister, CNN, 18 Feb. 2024 Super Bowl More Travis Kelce praises Taylor Swift for record-breaking Grammys win Americans expected to spend record $17.3 billion on 2024 Super Bowl The Super Bowl is expected to obliterate betting records Want to watch Super Bowl 2024 commercials? Christopher Brito, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'obliterate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin oblīterātus, oblitterātus, past participle of oblīterāre, oblitterāre "to cause to be forgotten or fall into disuse, make disappear," from ob- "against, facing" + -līterāre, litterāre, verbal derivative of lītera, littera letter entry 1 — more at ob-

Note: The original meaning of oblīterāre was apparently "to wipe out letters, words, etc.," but this sense is not clearly attested in classical Latin. Attested senses appear to have been influenced by oblītus, past participle of oblīvīscī "to forget, put out of mind" (cf. oblivion).

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of obliterate was in 1548

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Dictionary Entries Near obliterate

Cite this Entry

“Obliterate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obliterate. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

obliterate

verb
oblit·​er·​ate ə-ˈblit-ə-ˌrāt How to pronounce obliterate (audio)
ō-
obliterated; obliterating
: to remove or destroy completely : wipe out
obliteration noun

Medical Definition

obliterate

transitive verb
oblit·​er·​ate ə-ˈblit-ə-ˌrāt, ō- How to pronounce obliterate (audio)
obliterated; obliterating
: to cause to disappear (as a bodily part or a scar) or collapse (as a duct conveying body fluid)
a blood vessel obliterated by inflammation
obliteration noun

More from Merriam-Webster on obliterate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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