exterminate

verb

ex·​ter·​mi·​nate ik-ˈstər-mə-ˌnāt 

exterminated; exterminating

transitive verb

: to get rid of completely usually by killing off

exterminate termites and cockroaches

extermination

ik-ˌstər-mə-ˈnā-shən 

noun

exterminator

ik-ˈstər-mə-ˌnā-tər 

noun

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

Choose the Right Synonym for exterminate

exterminate, extirpate, eradicate, uproot mean to effect the destruction or abolition of something.

exterminate implies complete and immediate extinction by killing off all individuals.

exterminate cockroaches

extirpate implies extinction of a race, family, species, or sometimes an idea or doctrine by destruction or removal of its means of propagation.

many species have been extirpated from the area

eradicate implies the driving out or elimination of something that has established itself.

a campaign to eradicate illiteracy

uproot implies a forcible or violent removal and stresses displacement or dislodgment rather than immediate destruction.

the war uprooted thousands

Examples of exterminate in a Sentence

We made arrangements to have the termites exterminated.

The invaders nearly exterminated the native people.

Recent Examples on the Web

By the 1950s they were nearly exterminated on the continent. —Emily Soreghan, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Oct. 2024

Settlers, private militias and the U.S. troops carried out massacres across California, with the intent of exterminating the Native population. —Calmatters, The Mercury News, 11 Oct. 2024

On the opposing side is a contingent of A.I. engineers who believe that their creations may soon become powerful enough to exterminate most of humanity. —Charles Duhigg, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024

His parents came from Salonika, Greece, where ninety per cent of the Jewish population was deported and exterminated. —Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin exterminatus, past participle of exterminare, from ex- + terminus boundary — more at term entry 1

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

exterminate

verb

ex·​ter·​mi·​nate ik-ˈstər-mə-ˌnāt 

exterminated; exterminating

: to get rid of completely

exterminate termites

extermination

-ˌstər-mə-ˈnā-shən 

noun

exterminator

-ˈstər-mə-ˌnāt-ər 

noun