- (transitive) to destroy (living things, esp pests or vermin) completely; annihilate; eliminate
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
ex•ter•mine
(ik stûr′min),USA pronunciation v.t., -mined, -min•ing. [Obs.]
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026- to exterminate.
- Latin extermināre to drive beyond the boundaries. See ex-1, terminate
- late Middle English 1425–75
ex•ter•mi•nate /ɪkˈstɜrməˌneɪt/USA pronunciation
v. [~ + object], -nat•ed, -nat•ing.
ex•ter•mi•na•tor, n. [countable]See -term-.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to get rid of by destroying: to exterminate insect pests.
ex•ter•mi•na•tor, n. [countable]See -term-.
ex•ter•mi•nate
(ik stûr′mə nāt′),USA pronunciation v.t., -nat•ed, -nat•ing.
ex•ter•mi•na•ble
(ik stûr′mə nə bəl),USA pronunciation adj.
ex•ter′mi•na′tion, n.
- to get rid of by destroying; destroy totally;
extirpate:to exterminate an enemy; to exterminate insects.
- Latin exterminātus, past participle of extermināre to extermine; see -ate1
- 1535–45
- eradicate, abolish, annihilate, eliminate.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
exterminate /ɪkˈstɜːmɪˌneɪt/, extermine /ɪkˈstɜːmɪn/ vb
'extermine' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):