eliminar
/elimiˈnaɾ/
The English phrase 'eliminate' is translated into Spanish as eliminar.
The verb eliminar means to completely destroy something.
Meaning: completely destroy (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
The infinitive form eliminar is used to express the concept of 'to eliminate'. To describe continuous actions, use the gerund eliminando (eliminating). If you need to use the past tense (preterite), the first-person singular 'I eliminated' is eliminé and the third-person singular 'he/she/it eliminated' is eliminó.
How do you pronounce it?
/elimiˈnaɾ/
Did you know?
- The Latin root of eliminar refers to the 'limen' or threshold of a house, meaning to push something out of the doorway.
- In certain Latin American dialects, eliminar can be used as a euphemism for assassination in crime novels or police reports.
- While 'eliminate' in English often implies a permanent destruction, in Spanish, eliminar is the standard technical term used in computer science for 'deleting' a file or a piece of data.
Examples in context
- La tubería tiene un descalcificador para eliminar la cal.The plumbing has a water softener to eliminate lime.This sentence shows how to use eliminar regarding removing lime from plumbing.Tatoeba #6816422 by arh, translation #7037808 by Goatstein
- Eliminar.Eliminate.This sentence shows eliminar used as a single-word command.Tatoeba #6865820 by arh, translation #8604871 by robbieheslop
- Si la humanidad no cuida el medio ambiente, el medio ambiente podría eliminar a la humanidad.If mankind doesn't take care of the environment, the environment may eliminate mankind.This sentence shows the use of eliminar in a conditional context regarding the environment and mankind.Tatoeba #1015149 by hayastan, translation #270640 by CK
- El gobierno está trabajando para eliminar la pobreza.The government is working to eliminate poverty.
- Es fundamental suprimir las barreras que impiden la igualdad de oportunidades.It's crucial to eliminate the barriers that hinder equal opportunities.
- Debemos quitar todas las malas influencias de nuestra vida.We must eliminate all bad influences from our lives.
- Es hora de borrar los malos recuerdos y seguir adelante.It's time to eliminate the bad memories and move forward.
- La empresa busca eliminar los procesos ineficientes.The company aims to eliminate inefficient processes.
- Para mantener una buena salud, debemos eliminar los malos hábitos alimenticios.To maintain good health, we must eliminate bad eating habits.
- El equipo de fútbol necesita eliminar las distracciones y concentrarse en ganar.The soccer team needs to eliminate distractions and focus on winning.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a strategy in a video game.
- AlejandroDebemos eliminar a todos los enemigos rápidamente.We must eliminate all the enemies quickly.
- LucíaEs difícil eliminar a tantos de una vez.It is difficult to eliminate so many at once.
- AlejandroSi no nos movemos, nos van a eliminar.If we don't move, they are going to eliminate us.
- LucíaTienes razón, busquemos un plan.You are right, let's look for a plan.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “eliminate” translations and entries eliminar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries eliminar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
