obliterate
IPA: ʌbɫˈɪtɝeɪt
verb
- (transitive)
- To destroy (someone or something) completely, leaving no trace; to annihilate, to wipe out.
- To hide (something) by covering it; to conceal, to obscure.
- (also figuratively) To make (a drawing, text which is printed or written, etc.) indecipherable, either by erasing or obscuring it; to blot out, to efface, to delete.
- (biology, pathology, surgery, chiefly passive voice) To impair the function and/or structure of (a body cavity, vessel, etc.) by ablating or occluding it (in the latter case, chiefly by filling it with tissue).
- (philately) To cancel (a postage stamp) with a postmark so it cannot be reused.
- (intransitive)
- To be destroyed completely, leaving no trace.
- (biology, pathology) Of a body cavity, vessel, etc.: to close up or fill with tissue; of perfusion or a pulse: to cease owing to obstruction.
adjective
- (except poetic) Completely destroyed or erased; effaced, obliterated.
- (entomology, rare) Of markings on an insect: difficult to distinguish from the background; faint, indistinct.
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Examples of "obliterate" in Sentences
- She used the word obliterate, which kind of goes into, you know, words that oftentimes people use, nuke and stuff.
- Using the word obliterate, however, is the kind of language that we've seen George Bush use over the last seven years.
- Using the word obliterate, however, is the kind of language that we have seen George Bush use over the last seven years.
- ROBERTS: And in our conversation earlier today with Barack Obama, he criticized Hillary Clinton's use of the word obliterate when referring to Iran.
- Using the word obliterate however, is the kind of language that we have seen George Bush use over the last seven years and it's precisely that kind of provocative language that Senator Clinton criticized others for.
- Using the word obliterate, however, is the kind of language that we have seen George Bush use over the last seven years and it's precisely that kind of provocative language that Senator Clinton criticized others for.
- Merriam-Webster tells us that the root of "obliterate" comes from the Latin word "littera", for "letter," so that obliterate really means to destroy the alphabet -- to erase not only every word but the very capacity to create words.
- GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, you know, the notion that the Iranians are complaining about saber rattling from Hillary Clinton because she used the word obliterate if they were to consider attacking Israel is kind of a joke.
- When CNN's Rick Sanchez had a panel discussion on Hillary's "obliterate Iran" comment, he rhetorically asked words to the effect "well, 'obliterate' is just a word ... what she meant was we would deal with Iran harshly ... so what's wrong with that?"
- Using the word obliterate, however, is the kind of language that we have seen George Bush use over the last seven years and it's precisely that kind of provocative language that Senator Clinton criticized others for in the past, suggesting that if you're running for president, you shouldn't be stirring up international incidents.
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