exterminate

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA ^(key): /ɛkˈstəː.mɪ.neɪt/ or /ɪkˈstəː.mɪ.neɪt/
• (US) IPA ^(key): /ɪkˈstɝ.mɪ.neɪt/ or /ɛkˈstɝ.mɪ.neɪt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ex‧ter‧min‧ate

Verb

Plain form exterminate

Third-person singular exterminates

Past tense exterminated

Past participle exterminated

Present participle exterminating

1. (transitive) If you exterminate pests, you kill all of the population of it intentionally.

   We'll use poison to exterminate the rats.

2. (transitive) (figurative) If you exterminate something, you bring it to a definite end to it.

   The public school failed to exterminate truancy.