obliterate
verb
J. W. KrutchEmily Dickinson
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
Zach Harper, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
The mind-boggling hammer price obliterated the previous high sum paid for a car at auction—by nearly $100 million.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 11 Feb. 2025
But due to widespread deforestation, palm oil plantations and erosion, my team and I realized that much of the ancient landscape that remains above water has been obliterated—and finding signs of archaic life remains elusive.
—Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Feb. 2025
Much of Gaza has been obliterated by 15 months of Israeli bombardment following Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attacks.
—Lucas Lilieholm, CNN, 6 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obliterate
Cite this Entry
“Obliterate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obliterate. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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obliterate
verb
Medical Definition
obliterate
transitive verb
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