EXTERMINATE

[ex.ter.mi.nate] vt -nat.ed ; -nat.ing [L exterminatus, pp. of exterminare, fr. ex- + terminus boundary--more at term] (1591): to get rid of completely usu. by killing off "~ crabgrass from a lawn" -- ex.ter.mi.na.tion n -- ex.ter.mi.na.tor n syn 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".