exterminate
/ɪkˈstɝ.mɪ.neɪt/verb
exterminate is spelled E-X-T-E-R-M-I-N-A-T-E: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,393rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, exterminate means “To kill or otherwise permanently eliminate all of (a population, often of pests or undesirables), usually intentionally” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in exterminate?
| Letters | 11: E-X-T-E-R-M-I-N-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 32,393rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is exterminate?
Exterminate appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,393rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce exterminate?
- UK /ɛkˈstəː.mɪ.neɪt/
- UK /ɪkˈstəː.mɪ.neɪt/
- US /ɪkˈstɝ.mɪ.neɪt/
Exterminate has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-exterminate.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with exterminate?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as exterminate from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹmɪneɪt/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of exterminate
- exterminates present, singular, he/she/it
- exterminating participle, present
- exterminated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does exterminate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To kill or otherwise permanently eliminate all of (a population, often of pests or undesirables), usually intentionally.
We'll use poison to exterminate the rats.
- 2
To bring a definite end to; to finish completely.
The public school failed to exterminate truancy.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Exterminate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | exterminer |
| German | ausrotten |
| Portuguese | exterminar, erradicar , aniquilar |
| Spanish | exterminar , despalillar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does exterminate come from?
Borrowed from Latin exterminātus, perfect passive participle of exterminō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from ex- (“thoroughly”) + terminō (“to finish, close, end”), from terminus (“limit, end”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).