annihilate
verb
an·ni·hi·lateə-ˈnī-ə-ˌlāt 
annihilated;annihilating
1
a
:to cause to cease to exist:to do away with entirely so that nothing remains
b
:to destroy a considerable part of
Bombsannihilated the city.
The enemy troops wereannihilated.
c
:to defeat overwhelmingly:rout
annihilated the visitors 56–0
2
a
:to cause to be of no effect:nullify
a right to freedom that cannot beannihilated
b
:to destroy the substance or force of
Fear canannihilate one's confidence.
3
:to regard as of no consequence
4
:to cause (something, such as a particle and its antiparticle) to vanish or cease to exist by coming together and changing into other forms of energy (such as photons)
matter and antimatterannihilate each other
of a particle and its antiparticle:to vanish or cease to exist by coming together and changing into other forms of energy (such as photons)
Synonyms ofannihilate
Examples ofannihilate in a Sentence
The enemy troops wereannihilated. Heannihilated his opponent in the last election.
Recent Examples on the WebIts project isannihilating transformation.—
Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026Usually these particles almost immediately disappear again byannihilating each other—but not this time.—Clara Moskowitz,Scientific American, 4 Feb. 2026As the Universe expands and cools, the cross-section drops, and eventually, dark matter stopsannihilating away or interacting with anything else in any appreciable way.—Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026The grief and guiltannihilated our worth.—Jennifer W. Tsai,STAT, 18 Jan. 2026See All Example Sentences forannihilate
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage.Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.Send us feedback.
Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026Usually these particles almost immediately disappear again byannihilating each other—but not this time.—Clara Moskowitz,Scientific American, 4 Feb. 2026As the Universe expands and cools, the cross-section drops, and eventually, dark matter stopsannihilating away or interacting with anything else in any appreciable way.—Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026The grief and guiltannihilated our worth.—Jennifer W. Tsai,STAT, 18 Jan. 2026See All Example Sentences forannihilateWord History
Etymology
Late Latinannihilatus, past participle ofannihilare to reduce to nothing, from Latinad- +nihil nothing — more atnil
First Known Use
1525, in the meaning defined attransitive sense 2a
Rhymes forannihilate
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Cite this Entry
“Annihilate.”Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/annihilate. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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