obliterating

present participle of obliterate

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of obliterating Despite the uneasiness in Cathy’s character, the miniseries’ investment in Lee and its enormous, admirable ambition win out in the end, obliterating any of the earlier wobbles. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026 More than 1,000 people are dead and nearly 4,000 missing after a Himalayan glacial collapse unleashed catastrophic floods across the Nepal-China border, obliterating roads, towns and hydropower projects. — Shristi Kafle, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026 Today, for a few brief moments, some one billion people experienced partly or fully dark skies as the moon passes directly in front of our star, obliterating its light. — Claire Cameron & Lee Billings, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2026 Then, on August 6, the United States dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, obliterating nearly five square miles of the city. — James M. Scott, Time, 10 Aug. 2026 Instead, the teams combined to score 19 runs, obliterating my total. — David Troy, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2026 Near the speed of light, special relativity wreaks havoc on clocks and time, obliterating the concept of simultaneity among observers traveling at different speeds. — Peter Gosselin, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026 The entire lighting system can be neutralized by flipping a single switch, obliterating all visibility except for a spotlight on the enemy’s crotch. — Dahlia Gallin Ramirez, New Yorker, 9 June 2026 If the 38 days of devastating air strikes that began on 28 February failed to bring Tehran to heel, what difference would obliterating a few more targets make? — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 23 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obliterating
Verb
  • This park is the result of the Tompkins’ passion for this part of the world and their desire to rewild this part of Chile that had been overfarmed and overgrazed to the point of almost eradicating its native flora and fauna.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Community meetings focus on eradicating the homeless and protecting property values rather than supporting neighbors or providing shelter.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Karlsson was ruled offside after a review, erasing Egor Chinakhov’s work of art.
    — Josh Yohe, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
  • This component's other skills include locating large files and folders, locating empty files, irretrievably erasing drives (other than the boot drive), uninstalling apps, and defragmenting disks and the registry.
    — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The vice president also blasted Nixon, who is in an uphill race to defeat Moody, for supporting defunding the police and abolishing prisons.
    — Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Coleman later joins forces with HopesAndDrums for a house mix that calls for abolishing ICE.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Sign up for the newsletter When the rain does fall, Kabul’s hard, impermeable surfaces mean the water doesn’t replenish aquifers, but instead sweeps through the city as flash floods, destroying homes, killing people and rolling away.
    — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Space debris is generated not only by kinetic space weapons but also when satellites collide and get smashed into countless fragments and smaller particles that travel at high velocity and are capable of destroying or damaging more spacecraft.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Obliterating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obliterating. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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