eliminate
/ɪˈlɪməˌneɪt/
Reviewed on
Type
Verb
Meaning
To completely remove or get rid of something undesirable.
The company wants to eliminate unnecessary expenses before the end of the quarter.
Can regular exercise really eliminate stress entirely?
To exclude someone or something from further consideration or suspicion.
Detectives quickly eliminated two of the suspects after reviewing security camera footage.
He was eliminated from the applicant pool due to a lack of required experience.
To knock a person or team out of a tournament or contest by defeating them.
The defending champions were eliminated in the semifinal round last night.
Which team eliminated last year's champions in the first round?
How it's used
When this means “get rid of something completely”
- eliminate the risk
“eliminate it.”
The safety crew worked to eliminate the risk of fire.
When this means “exclude from suspicion or a competition”
- eliminate the suspect from the list
“eliminate him from it.”
They eliminated the suspect from the list after checking her alibi.
Collocations
- eliminate waste
- eliminate errors
- eliminate poverty
- eliminate suspicion
- eliminate a suspect
- eliminate from contention
- eliminate in the playoffs