to obliterate
Third Person
obliterates
Present Participle
obliterating
Past Tense
obliterated
Past Participle
obliterated
1
to completely destroy something
transitive
- The powerful explosion was so intense that it seemed to obliterate the entire building.
- The digital backup failed, and we had to obliterate the corrupted files to start fresh.
- The military airstrike was intended to obliterate the enemy's strategic positions.
- They obliterated the graffiti in the neighborhood last week.
2
to eliminate something from one's memory
transitive
- She wished she could obliterate the painful memories of her past.
- The traumatic experience was so intense that he struggled to obliterate it from his mind.
- She tried every distraction to obliterate the thought of the argument.
- He found it impossible to obliterate the image of the disaster from his mind.
- She wanted to obliterate all traces of her ex from her memories.
Synonyms:
3
to make something undetectable or unclear by covering it
transitive
- The graffiti was obliterated by a thick layer of fresh paint.
- Layers of vines and moss had obliterated the ancient carvings on the stone wall.
- The footprints were quickly obliterated by the falling snow.
- The artist obliterated the pencil sketch with bold strokes of color.
- The old mural was obliterated when the building was repainted in plain white.
4
to make a body part, scar, or fluid passage disappear or collapse
transitive
- Over time, the surgeon's technique obliterated the scar, leaving the skin smooth.
- The tumor grew rapidly, obliterating the duct and causing a blockage.
- The therapy was designed to obliterate the damaged veins without invasive surgery.
- The injury obliterated the nerve, leading to a loss of sensation in the area.
- The intense inflammation nearly obliterated the airway, making breathing difficult.
5
to mark over a postage stamp so it cannot be used for mailing again
transitive
- The postal worker obliterated the stamp with a bold, black ink mark.
- To avoid fraud, the machine automatically obliterated the stamps during processing.
- He carefully obliterated the stamp using a hand-held cancellation device.
- The stamp was obliterated so thoroughly that its original design was barely visible.
- The clerk made sure to obliterate each stamp to prevent any misuse.