EXTERMINATE


Meaning of EXTERMINATE in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ ik-ˈstər-mə-ˌnāt ]

transitive verb

( -nat·ed ; -nat·ing )

Etymology: Latin exterminatus, past participle of exterminare, from ex- + terminus boundary — more at term

Date: 1591

: to get rid of completely usually by killing off

exterminate termites and cockroaches

• ex·ter·mi·na·tion -ˌstər-mə-ˈnā-shən noun

• ex·ter·mi·na·tor -ˈstər-mə-ˌnā-tər noun

Synonyms:

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

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.