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annihilate

Pronunciation: /əˈnʌɪɪleɪt/
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Definition of annihilate

verb

[with object]
  • 1destroy utterly; obliterate:a simple bomb of this type could annihilate them all a crusade to annihilate evil
  • defeat utterly:the stronger force annihilated its opponent virtually without loss
  • 2 Physics convert (a subatomic particle) into radiant energy: a fraction of the mass of atomic nuclei is annihilated mesons are unstable because the quark and antiquark can annihilate each other

Derivatives

annihilator

noun

Origin:

late Middle English (originally as an adjective meaning 'destroyed, annulled'): from late Latin annihilatus 'reduced to nothing', from the verb annihilare, from ad- 'to' + nihil 'nothing'. The sense 'destroy utterly' dates from the mid 16th century

Spelling help

Remember that annihilate and the related word annihilation are spelled with a double n, then -ih-.

Spelling tip

he annihilated the two nobles whom he hated.

annihilate in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of annihilate in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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