消灭 (xiāo miè) — to eliminate, to wipe out, to annihilate

Definition

消灭 means 'to wipe out' or 'eliminate completely', often by force (enemies, pests) or active effort (viruses, poverty). It implies total destruction. Compare 消除 (xiāo chú), which is 'to remove or eliminate' (doubts, dangers, obstacles) but not necessarily by destruction — think 'erase' vs 'annihilate'.

verb

to eliminateto wipe outto annihilate

Examples

消灭。
Tāmen chèdǐ xiāo miè le dírén.
They completely wiped out the enemy.
消灭。
Zhè zhǒng bìngdú hěn nán xiāo miè.
This virus is very hard to eliminate.
消灭。
Zhèngfǔ zhèngzài xiāo miè pínqǐng wèn nín shi shéi?
The government is eliminating poverty.

Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.