1. root out Exterminate (L. ex, out, and terminus, a boundary) signified primarily to drive beyond the bounds or limits of a country; the word is applied to races of men or animals, and is now almost exclu Synonyms: exterminate, annihilate, eradicate, overthrow, uproot, banish, expel, remove, wipe out, destroy, extirpate, root out Antonyms: augment, build up, develop, increase, populate, replenish, beget, cherish, foster, plant, propagate, settle, breed, colonize