annihilating

present participle of annihilate
1
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

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
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
Verb
  • Pumping at high speeds creates a suction vortex (upconing) that violently draws heavy sludge into the production stream, fouling piping and destroying surface pumps.
    Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The tornado wreaked havoc in the village of 1,000 inhabitants, reducing homes to rubble and destroying numerous cars.
    ABC News, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The discovery opens up new possibilities for heat management in next-generation quantum devices, overcoming bottlenecks faced earlier.
    Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Wachter said some young buyers are overcoming high housing costs by looking at older homes and fixer-uppers, putting their own time and labor into improvements or even renting out part of the property to help cover costs.
    Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026
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
Verb
  • As community members organized marches and protests, Abdeen helped bring a class-action lawsuit against the city, arguing that demolishing the neighborhood would violate residents’ civil rights.
    Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Trump has faced widespread criticism for demolishing the East Wing of the White House to make room for the grand ballroom design.
    Callum Sutherland, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
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
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
Verb
  • For a full breakdown of how to clean your bedding without ruining it, refer to AD's guide on how to wash a comforter.
    Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 24 Aug. 2026
  • This allegedly caused the cancellation of school recesses, and also ruining weddings and funerals.
    Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Annihilating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/annihilating. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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