Pronunciation

change
  • (UK) IPA (key): /ɛkˈstəː.mɪ.neɪt/ or /ɪkˈstəː.mɪ.neɪt/
  • (US) IPA (key): /ɪkˈstɝ.mɪ.neɪt/ or /ɛkˈstɝ.mɪ.neɪt/
  • (file)
  • Hyphenation: ex‧ter‧min‧ate

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.