ELIMINATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does eliminate mean? 

• ELIMINATE (verb)
  The verb ELIMINATE has 7 senses:

1. terminate, end, or take out

2. do away with

3. kill in large numbers

4. dismiss from consideration or a contest

5. eliminate from the body

6. remove from a contest or race

7. remove (an unknown variable) from two or more equations

  Familiarity information: ELIMINATE used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ELIMINATE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they eliminate    ... he / she / it eliminates   
Past simple: eliminated   
Past participle: eliminated   
-ing form: eliminating   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Terminate, end, or take out

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

do away with; eliminate; extinguish; get rid of

Context example:

eliminate my debts

Hypernyms (to "eliminate" is one way to...):

destroy; destruct (do away with, cause the destruction or undoing of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "eliminate"):

decouple (eliminate airborne shock waves from (an explosive))

except; exclude; leave off; leave out; omit; take out (prevent from being included or considered or accepted)

extinguish; snuff out (put an end to; kill)

cut; prune; rationalise; rationalize (weed out unwanted or unnecessary things)

cut out (delete or remove)

drown (get rid of as if by submerging)

knock out (eliminate)

obliterate (do away with completely, without leaving a trace)

decouple (reduce or eliminate the coupling of (one circuit or part to another))

cancel out; wipe out (wipe out the effect of something)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

elimination (the murder of a competitor)

elimination (the act of removing or getting rid of something)

eliminator (an agent that eliminates something)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Do away with

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

eliminate; obviate; rid of

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "eliminate"):

close out; preclude; rule out (make impossible, especially beforehand)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Kill in large numbers

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

annihilate; carry off; decimate; eliminate; eradicate; extinguish; wipe out

Context example:

the plague wiped out an entire population

Hypernyms (to "eliminate" is one way to...):

kill (cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly)

Verb group:

decimate (kill one in every ten, as of mutineers in Roman armies)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sentence example:

They want to eliminate the prisoners

Sense 4

Meaning:

Dismiss from consideration or a contest

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

eliminate; reject; rule out; winnow out

Context example:

This possibility can be eliminated from our consideration

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 5

Meaning:

Eliminate from the body

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Synonyms:

egest; eliminate; excrete; pass

Context example:

Pass a kidney stone

Hypernyms (to "eliminate" is one way to...):

discharge; eject; exhaust; expel; release (eliminate (a substance))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "eliminate"):

exudate; exude; ooze; ooze out; transude (release (a liquid) in drops or small quantities)

make; make water; micturate; pass water; pee; pee-pee; piddle; piss; puddle; relieve oneself; spend a penny; take a leak; urinate; wee; wee-wee (eliminate urine)

urinate (pass after the manner of urine)

empty; evacuate; void (excrete or discharge from the body)

ca-ca; crap; defecate; make; shit; stool; take a crap; take a shit (have a bowel movement)

barf; be sick; cast; cat; chuck; disgorge; honk; puke; purge; regorge; regurgitate; retch; sick; spew; spue; throw up; upchuck; vomit; vomit up (eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth)

perspire; sudate; sweat (excrete perspiration through the pores in the skin)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

elimination (the bodily process of discharging waste matter)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Remove from a contest or race

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Context example:

The cyclist has eliminated all the competitors in the race

Hypernyms (to "eliminate" is one way to...):

beat; beat out; crush; shell; trounce; vanquish (come out better in a competition, race, or conflict)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 7

Meaning:

Remove (an unknown variable) from two or more equations

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "eliminate" is one way to...):

remove; take; take away; withdraw (remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract)

Domain category:

math; mathematics; maths (a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

elimination (the act of removing an unknown mathematical quantity by combining equations)

 Context examples 

A metabolic precursor to aspartate, Asparagine is a nontoxic carrier of residual ammonia to be eliminated from the body.

(Asparagine, NCI Thesaurus)

Co-vaccination of this vaccine with melanoma antigen specific vaccine may eliminate the adverse effects associated with systemic administration of immune modulators, while also enhancing vaccine-induced immune responses.

(Anti-CTLA4 MoAb RNA-transfected Autologous Dendritic Cell Vaccine, NCI Thesaurus)

If you have an underlying disorder, treating it may help eliminate the breath odor.

(Bad Breath, NIH)

A religious group that follows the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who taught that the end of suffering can be achieved by eliminating the desire for material comforts.

(Buddhist, NCI Thesaurus)

It is used in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation to prevent graft vs host disease by eliminating T cells via antibody dependent cell cytotoxicity in vivo.

(Campath-1G, NCI Thesaurus)

The mission of the CBCRP is to eliminate breast cancer by leading innovation in research, communication, and collaboration in the California scientific and lay communities.

(California Breast Cancer Research Program, NCI Thesaurus)

The objectionable is eliminated, the inevitable is foreseen.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

Any method or technique that eliminates the use of animals in experiments, research, and testing.

(Animal Testing Alternative, NCI Thesaurus)

The engineered cells eliminated anti-Dsg3 B cells from the animals and prevented blisters from forming without any detectable side effects.

(Approach targets autoimmunity, NIH)

For every thousand viruses, 996 were eliminated with the 6MMPr, which amounts to over 99%.

(Brazil scientists discover Zika virus inhibitor, Agência Brasil)