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ex·tir·pate
 extirpate
- pronunciation:
- ek
st
 r
peIt
[or]
ihk
stuhr
peIt
| part of speech: |
transitive verb |
| inflections: |
extirpated, extirpates, extirpating |
| definition 1: |
to get rid of completely, as if by pulling up the roots; root out.
The agency is committed to extirpating terrorism cell by cell, down to the last man.Efforts to extirpate the disease have not been completely successful.- similar words:
- efface, eradicate
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| definition 2: |
to destroy completely; exterminate.
This particular species of snake was extirpated on the mainland.- similar words:
- abolish, blot out, efface, eradicate, exterminate
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| definition 3: |
to remove surgically.
The surgeons extirpated the tumor. |
| related words: |
blast, destroy, eliminate, obliterate, remove |
| derivations: |
extirpative (adj.), extirpation (n.), extirpator (n.) |
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