English▸ verb [with object] destroy utterly; wipe out:
the memory was so painful that he obliterated it from his mind.
▪ make invisible or indistinct; conceal or cover:
clouds were darkening, obliterating the sun.
▪ cancel (something, especially a postage stamp) to prevent further use:
the special stamp should be placed on the left-hand side and not be used to obliterate the postage stamp.
– ORIGIN mid 16th century: from Latin obliterat- ‘struck out, erased’, from the verb obliterare, based on littera ‘letter, something written’.