Elimination means removing something or getting rid of it completely. In a spelling bee, when you misspell a word, you face elimination from the competition: you're out, and you can't continue. In a tournament bracket, teams keep playing until elimination leaves only one winner standing.

The word comes from removing things you don't want or need. A detective investigating a mystery uses elimination to narrow down suspects, crossing off anyone who couldn't have committed the crime. Scientists use a process of elimination when testing theories, removing explanations that don't fit the evidence until they find the right answer.

Your body also performs elimination naturally, removing waste it doesn't need. Math problems often ask you to solve equations using elimination, a method where you strategically remove variables to find the answer.

The key idea is that elimination is complete and final. When something is eliminated, it's gone from consideration or competition. Unlike just setting something aside temporarily, elimination means it won't come back. Understanding elimination helps you grasp how tournaments work, how scientists think, and how to solve tricky problems by systematically removing what doesn't work.