French word

éliminer

Pronunciation

IPA/elimine/

Meaning

  • verbget rid of

Example

Il faut éliminer les mauvaises habitudes.

We need to get rid of bad habits.

Illustration for éliminer (get rid of)

More examples

Ce savon peut éliminer les taches tenaces.

This soap can remove stubborn stains.

Core concept

A place, list, group, or contest is left with one fewer unwanted element.

Common phrases

  • éliminer les taches

    remove stains

  • éliminer un doute

    dispel a doubt

  • éliminer les déchets

    remove waste

Similar words

enlever: Taking an object away by hand or by peeling it off.
retirer: Extracting something from inside a container or another space.
ôter: Making room by taking away something that blocks it.
supprimer: Erasing text, data, or an option so it is no longer present.

Definition in French

Enlever ou supprimer quelque chose d'un lieu, d'une liste ou d'un groupe, ou faire disparaître une option ou un concurrent.

Word origin

The verb traces back to Latin eliminare, whose elements express movement out beyond a limen, or threshold, a concrete idea that broadened into removal and exclusion.

Usage tips

  • With a person or team as its object, éliminer often means knocking that competitor out of a contest, while other contexts can suggest exclusion or violent removal.

Other meanings

  • excludeverb
  • deleteverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word