pulverize

[ puhl-vuh-rahyz ]
See synonyms for: pulverizepulverizedpulverizable on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),pul·ver·ized, pul·ver·iz·ing.
  1. to reduce to dust or powder, as by pounding or grinding.

  2. to demolish or crush completely.

  1. Slang. to defeat, hurt badly, or, figuratively, render helpless: The Kid pulverized Jackson with a series of brutal lefts. He's a veteran nightclub comic who can pulverize any audience in seconds.

verb (used without object),pul·ver·ized, pul·ver·iz·ing.
  1. to become reduced to dust.

Origin of pulverize

1
1575–85; <Late Latin pulverizāre to reduce to powder, equivalent to Latin pulver- (stem of pulvis; akin to pollen) dust + -izāre-ize
  • Also especially British, pul·ver·ise .

Other words from pulverize

  • pul·ver·iz·a·ble, adjective
  • pul·ver·i·za·tion, noun
  • pul·ver·iz·er, noun
  • sub·pul·ver·iz·er, noun
  • un·pul·ver·ized, adjective

Words Nearby pulverize

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use pulverize in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pulverize

pulverize

pulverise

/ (ˈpʌlvəˌraɪz) /


verb
  1. to reduce (a substance) to fine particles, as by crushing or grinding, or (of a substance) to be so reduced

  2. (tr) to destroy completely; defeat or injure seriously

Origin of pulverize

1
C16: from Late Latin pulverizare or French pulvériser, from Latin pulverum, from pulvis dust

Derived forms of pulverize

  • pulverizable or pulverisable, adjective
  • pulverization or pulverisation, noun
  • pulverizer or pulveriser, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012