pulverize

verb

ˈpəl-və-ˌrīz How to pronounce pulverize (audio)
Definition of pulverizenext
1
as in to destroy
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of buildings pulverized by a killer tornado

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to grind
to reduce to fine particles pulverize the cement into dust for reuse

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 pulverize Storms pulverized the southeast metro area with heavy rain and substantial hail. — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 17 Aug. 2026 Mortar and Pestle Step away from the cute portable blender or countertop blending beast, because the old-fashioned way to pulverize something is oftentimes best. — Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Martha Stewart, 30 July 2026 Portions of its skeleton featured pulverizing bite marks and missing chunks that all bore the hallmark signs of another predatory attack. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 29 July 2026 This would lead to massive deceleration forces that instantly pulverize standard tracking electronics, leaving search teams completely blind. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for pulverize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pulverize
  1. destroy
  2. grind
  3. demolish
  4. crush
  5. shatter
  6. pound
  7. ruin
  8. beat
Verb
  • Cities outside Paris have been hit hard by the unrest, including Limoges where a fire nearly destroyed the 19th-century city hall.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Animal diseases also threaten our economy and food system, destroying more than 20% of global livestock production each year.
    — Robert Kelly, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of destroy
Verb
  • For decades, junior accountants learned their trade by reconciling accounts, manually entering data, and grinding through the month-end close.
    — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • This innovation—the mass manufacture of ammonia, vastly more efficient than scraping guano off remote islands or grinding mountains of bison bones—removed the most critical nutrient bottleneck in global agriculture.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of grind
Verb
  • The building’s owner previously told The Star the building would not be demolished and that it could be redeveloped.
    — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The 18-year-old female elephant got loose from her handler outside her enclosure, then went on the run, demolishing the door of a saloon on North Avenue, smashing in the window of another and walking through the fence around a vacant lot.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of demolish
Verb
  • Fish die by being crushed, by asphyxiation, or by barotrauma—when fish surface quickly, things sometimes go pop.
    — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Semiconductors have been crushed, down more than 15% this month.
    — Sarah Min, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of crush
Verb
  • In a country so small and intimately connected, scarcely anyone was untouched by events that shattered the assumptions of a people whose nation was founded to give Jews a safe haven in their ancestral homeland.
    — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 26 Oct. 2026
  • In fact, 2026 has already shattered the Biden-era record for the most number of days with $4 gas or higher.
    — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of shatter
Verb
  • A little girl pounding her fists and screaming; none of the visitors nor the staff were allowed to hold her to provide comfort.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The Pistons pounded the inside and scored 24 second-chance points.
    — Dan Gelston, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of pound
Verb
  • Burdick seemed to have drawn directly from McCarthy’s experience, the hopelessness of fighting with his father over a world his father had already ruined, the surrender to indulgence and mindless violence because…why not?
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Each room is also outfitted with a Yale smart lock, which means there’s no room for that horrible feeling of losing a room key to ruin your vacation.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of ruin
Verb
  • Drew Doughty had a goal and two assists, and Artemi Panarin added a power-play goal and an assist as the Kings beat the New York Rangers 6-3 on Monday night.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
  • In a shocking upset, a student movement resoundingly beat longtime Serbian leader President Aleksandar Vucic, ending his time in power after 14 years.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of beat

Browse Nearby Words

pulsing
pulverize
pulverized
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Cite this Entry

“Pulverize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pulverize. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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