Exterminate Definition

ĭk-stûrmə-nāt

exterminated, exterminates, exterminating

verb

exterminated, exterminates, exterminating

To destroy or get rid of entirely, as by killing; wipe out; annihilate.

Webster's New World

To kill all of a population, usually deliberate and especially applied to pests.

We'll use poison to exterminate the rats.

Wiktionary

(figuratively) To bring a definite end to, finish completely. A rather strong word that implies that what has been ended won't resurface.

Even a mass birching at the public school failed to exterminate truancy.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

Origin of Exterminate

From Latin exterminātus, perfect passive participle of exterminō, itself from ex- + terminō (“I finish, close, end”) (from terminus (“limit, end”)).

From Wiktionary
Latin extermināre extermināt- to drive out ex- ex- termināre to mark boundaries (from terminus boundary marker)

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition