- (transitive) to destroy (living things, esp pests or vermin) completely; annihilate; eliminate
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
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
'exterminate' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
abolish
- eradicate
- exterminatory
- extermine
- extirpate
- getter
- internecine
- persecution
- root