Meaning

2 senses
  1. (transitive)To kill or otherwise permanently eliminate all of (a population, often of pests or undesirables), usually intentionally.

    We'll use poison to exterminate the rats.

    ausrotten

    истребля́тьistrebljátʹ, истреби́тьistrebítʹ

    вини́щуватиvynýščuvaty, виво́дитиvyvódyty

  2. (figuratively, transitive)To bring a definite end to; to finish completely.

    The public school failed to exterminate truancy.

    уничтожа́тьuničtožátʹ, уничто́житьuničtóžitʹ

More definitions
  • kill en masse; kill on a large scale; kill many
  • destroy completely, as if down to the roots

Examples

33 sentences
  1. Their job is to exterminate rats and mice.

    Їхня робота полягає у винищенні щурів та мишей.

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  2. They tried to exterminate my people.

    deSie versuchten, mein Volk auszurotten.

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  3. The insecticide promised to exterminate cockroaches.

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  4. Their intention is to exterminate mankind.

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  5. The aliens wanted to exterminate humans.

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Translations

8 languages
Українська
By meaning 1
to kill all of a population:
Русский
By meaning 2
to kill all of a population:
to bring a definite end to, finish completely:
Deutsch
By meaning 1
to kill all of a population:

Origin

Borrowed from Latin exterminātus, perfect passive participle of exterminō (see -ate (verb-

Borrowed from Latin exterminātus, perfect passive participle of exterminō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from ex- (“thoroughly”) + terminō (“to finish, close, end”), from terminus (“limit, end”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix).

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Forms

exterminates, exterminating, exterminated, exterminated
Base formexterminate · to exterminate
3rd person singularexterminates
Present participleexterminating
Past simpleexterminated
Past participleexterminated

regular · Lesson

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theyexterminate
he, she, itexterminates

Past simpleLesson

all personsexterminated

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave exterminated
he, she, ithas exterminated

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill exterminate

Synonyms

8 synonyms
to bring an end to:stamp out
Close in meaning

Word family

10 related words

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
exterminate — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto