pulverize

UK: /ˈpʌlvəraɪz/ US: /ˈpʌlvəˌraɪz/ ,(pul′və rīz′)

Inflections of 'pulverize' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

pulverizes

v 3rd person singular (US & UK)

pulverizing

v pres p (US & UK)

pulverized

v past (US & UK)

pulverized

v past p (US & UK)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

pul•ver•ize /ˈpʌlvəˌraɪz/   v., -ized, -iz•ing. 

1. to (cause to) be turned into or reduced to dust or powder, as by pounding or grinding: [~ + object]
   The workers pulverized the rocks.
   [no object]
   Over time the mineral slowly pulverized.
2. to demolish or crush completely:
   [~ + object] The two-thousand-pound bomb pulverized the command center.

pul•ver•i•za•tion /ˌpʌlvərɪˈzeɪʃən/  n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

pul•ver•ize  (pul′və rīz′), v., -ized, -iz•ing. 
v.t. 

1. to reduce to dust or powder, as by pounding or grinding.
2. to demolish or crush completely.
3. Slang Terms to defeat, hurt badly, or, figuratively, render helpless:
   The Kid pulverized Jackson with a series of brutal lefts. He's a veteran nightclub comic who can pulverize any audience in seconds.

v.i. 

4. to become reduced to dust.

Also,[esp. Brit.,] pul′ver•ise′. 

• Late Latin pulverizāre to reduce to powder, equivalent. to Latin pulver- (stem of pulvis; akin to pollen) dust + -izāre -ize
• 1575–85

pul′ver•iz′a•ble, adj. 
pul′ver•i•za′tion, n. 
pul′ver•iz′er, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

pulverize, pulverise / ˈpʌlvəˌraɪz/ verb

1. to reduce (a substance) to fine particles, as by crushing or grinding, or (of a substance) to be so reduced
2. (transitive) to destroy completely; defeat or injure seriously

Etymology: 16th Century: from Late Latin pulverizare or French pulvériser, from Latin pulverum, from pulvis dust

ˈpulverˌizable, ˈpulverˌisable adjective

ˌpulveriˈzation, ˌpulveriˈsation noun

ˈpulverˌizer, ˈpulverˌiser noun