Meaning 1neutral · 82%
To destroy something completely or make it unusable.
Natural examples
Die Explosion vernichtete einen Teil der Lagerhalle.
The explosion destroyed part of the warehouse.
Vor dem Umzug vernichtete das Büro alte Akten.
Before moving, the office destroyed old files.
Der Frost vernichtete einen großen Teil der Ernte.
Frost destroyed a large part of the harvest.
Usage note
Vernichten is transitive and usually takes the destroyed item as its accusative object. It forms the perfect with haben.
Mini-lesson: vernichten
To destroy something completely or make it unusable. Vernichten is transitive and usually takes the destroyed item as its accusative object. It forms the perfect with haben.
Check your learning
Choose one answer.Which definition matches «vernichten»?