annihilating

verb

present participle of annihilate
1
as in eradicating
to destroy all traces of the family's attempts to annihilate the roach population in their apartment had met with little success

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in destroying
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of the tornado simply annihilated the family's home

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in overcoming
to defeat by a large margin we didn't just win; we absolutely annihilated them!

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of annihilating Dark stars are hypothetical primordial stars that, rather than producing energy through nuclear fusion, are instead powered by self-annihilating dark matter within their cores. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 21 Aug. 2026 The accusation works its way through society, annihilating reputations, deservedly or not. — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026 As an arachnid alien-annihilating action game, Helldivers seems like the perfect recipe for a popcorn flick. — Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 2026 Chess is about annihilating your opponent. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 June 2026 If Neptune did have an original set of moons that more closely resembled those of its planetary neighbors, the arrival of Triton — which is just smaller than our own moon — would have wreaked havoc, crashing into the other satellites and annihilating some of them. — Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 20 May 2026 Now southern Republicans are annihilating Black political power. — Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026 Instead, it is filled with a froth of virtual particles becoming real in pairs, waving to us, annihilating each other, and sinking back into the soup of virtual particles. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 15 May 2026 One compelling hypothesis is that dark matter particles in the dense central halo are interacting with and annihilating one another, releasing energy as gamma rays. — Paul M. Sutter, Scientific American, 6 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for annihilating
  1. eradicating
  2. destroying
  3. overcoming
  4. erasing
  5. demolishing
  6. burying
  7. abolishing
  8. ruining
Verb
  • The brand also claims that this sweeps away plaque rather than just blasting a hole through it, more effectively eradicating the sludgy bacteria.
    — Jenny Bailly, Allure, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Tlaib is also a prominent critic of Israel; her rhetoric has been chastised by Jewish colleagues as an antisemitic call for eradicating Jews, a charge the congresswoman and her supporters reject.
    — Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of eradicating
Verb
  • Demonstrators carrying Spanish flags moved toward beachside migrant camps last week, destroying shelters and setting fires as police attempted to keep protesters and migrants apart, according to Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE and news agency EFE.
    — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Several homeowners near Meta’s massive Newton County data center have filed a lawsuit accusing the tech company and others of tainting their water and destroying their rural way of life.
    — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of destroying
Verb
  • Curaçao went unbeaten in the double-elimination tournament before overcoming an early two-run deficit to the team from Henderson, Nevada.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Instead of focusing on adventurous missions like PAW Patrol, Super Monsters emphasizes the more emotional aspects of childhood, like overcoming shyness, being a good friend, and learning from your mistakes.
    — Kara Nesvig, Parents, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of overcoming
Verb
  • But Bama followed with a 38-3 quarterfinal flop to Indiana, erasing any momentum and placing DeBoer squarely under the microscope entering a pivotal third season.
    — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The 68-year-old also lost her husband and her son, who worked at a local hydropower plant, in the flash floods that hit the region on Wednesday, erasing entire communities.
    — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of erasing
Verb
  • Mansfield Timberview signaled state-title ambitions by demolishing West Mesquite 69-7, while White Settlement Brewer knocked off Class 6A Haltom 31-14 to open Class 5A play.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Aug. 2026
  • While members of the public and the architectural community have criticized the Rike Tubes for altering the character of Tbilisi’s historic old town, some favored relocating them to a more suitable setting rather than demolishing them.
    — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of demolishing
Verb
  • In one southern Nepali district — Chitwan — authorities will resort to burying hundreds of unidentified bodies in a mass grave, local police told CNN.
    — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The flooding inundated areas along the Trishuli River, burying some buildings and damaging bridges and roadways.
    — Jon Haworth, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of burying
Verb
  • Debates over abolishing or scaling back the institution, which occasionally flare up in the United Kingdom and other nations, are rare in Norway.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
  • While his party debates abolishing prisons and owning grocery stores, Democratic Mayor Daniel Lurie is cleaning up his city.
    — Kate Andrews, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of abolishing
Verb
  • The Horned Frogs crushed the Tar Heels 48-14 in last year’s season opener at Chapel Hill, ruining the college coaching debut of six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2026
  • So, are invasives ruining the state’s waters, or is the state on the way to becoming the everyman’s Amazon, embraced by the folks who can’t afford the jungle lodge experience?
    — Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of ruining

Browse Nearby Words

annihilates
annihilating
annihilation
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Cite this Entry

“Annihilating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/annihilating. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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