From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishobliterateo‧blit‧er‧ate /əˈblɪtəreɪt/ verb [transitive] 1 DESTROYto destroy something completely so that nothing remains Hiroshima was nearly obliterated by the atomic bomb.► see thesaurus at destroy2 REMOVEto remove a thought, feeling, or memory from someone’s mind Nothing could obliterate the memory of those tragic events.3 COVERto cover something completely so that it cannot be seen Then the fog came down, obliterating everything. —obliteration /əˌblɪtəˈreɪʃən/ noun [uncountable]→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
obliterate• Especially that part she wanted to obliterate.• Who among us is so righteous that a sane society would entrust her with the power to obliterate a city?• Frequent flooding eventually obliterated all traces of the community that used to live there.• His productivity and avidity for life could not obliterate an inner malaise.• Soon the screen was obliterated by the fuzz of burning light behind Ari's eyes.• Entire sections of the city were obliterated by the repeated bombing.• Large areas of the city were obliterated during World War II.• In addition, an AR-IS semiautomatic rifle with an obliterated serial number was found abandoned on the riverbank.• The thick smog hung in the air, obliterating the hills from view.• Perhaps he could obliterate the signature?• I had been given the power to obliterate, to steal a body from its grave and tear it to pieces.Origin obliterate (1500-1600) Latin past participle of obliterare, from litera “letter” 