What does eliminated mean?
"Eliminated" is the past tense and past participle of the verb "eliminate," meaning to remove something completely or to exclude someone from further participation, especially in a contest. It carries a sense of thoroughness and finality — an eliminated risk no longer exists, and an eliminated team's tournament run is over. The word appears frequently in journalism, science, and everyday speech: governments aim to have diseases eliminated, companies streamline operations once inefficiencies are eliminated, and reality-TV contestants are famously eliminated week by week. Derived from the Latin eliminare, literally "to turn out of doors" or put beyond the threshold, the word retains that vivid core idea of pushing something firmly outside the boundary. Its register leans formal or neutral, making it a precise, versatile choice wherever complete removal or decisive exclusion is being described.
verbPast tense and past participle of eliminate: to completely remove or get rid of something, or to defeat and exclude a person or team from a competition.
- To remove or get rid of something completely.
- To defeat a person or team so they are excluded from a competition.
- (Physiology, dated) To expel waste matter from the body.
"The new policy eliminated the need for paper forms entirely."
"Vaccination has virtually eliminated smallpox as a threat worldwide."
"The defending champions were eliminated in the quarter-finals after a penalty shootout."
From Latin for 'to push out past the threshold' — eliminate literally meant 'kicked out the door' in ancient Rome.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of eliminated
"Eliminated" derives from Latin eliminare, formed from e- (out) plus limen (threshold), originally meaning to drive someone or something out beyond the threshold of a house. The word entered English via Latin usage in the early 17th century, first meaning to exclude or reject from consideration, before broadening to mean removal or eradication generally. Cognate forms include elimination and eliminative, all tracing back to the same Latin root limen, which also gives us words like limit.
Related word forms
How eliminated is actually used
Neutral-to-formal register; common in news, sports reporting, science, and business writing. In casual speech, simpler verbs like 'got rid of' or 'cut' are often used instead.
Easily confused with eliminated
Illuminated means lit up or made bright, whereas eliminated means removed or gotten rid of.