decimate

verb

dec·​i·​mate ˈde-sə-ˌmāt 

decimated; decimating

transitive verb

1

: to select by lot and kill every tenth man of

decimate a regiment

2

: to exact a tax of 10 percent from

poor as a decimated Cavalier

—John Dryden

3

a

: to reduce drastically especially in number

cholera decimated the population

Kamieniecki's return comes at a crucial time for a pitching staff that has been decimated by injuries.

—Jason Diamos

b

: to cause great destruction or harm to

firebombs decimated the city

an industry decimated by recession

decimation

ˌde-sə-ˈmā-shən 

noun

Did you know?

The connection between decimate and the number ten harks back to a brutal practice of the army of ancient Rome. A unit that was guilty of a severe crime (such as mutiny) was punished by selecting and executing one-tenth of its soldiers, thereby scaring the remaining nine-tenths into obedience. The word comes from Latin decem, meaning "ten." Decimate strayed from its "tenth" meaning and nowadays refers to the act of destroying or hurting something in great numbers.

Synonyms

• annihilate
• cream
• demolish
• desolate
• destroy
• devastate
• do in
• extinguish
• nuke
• pull down
• pulverize
• raze
• rub out
• ruin
• shatter
• smash
• tear down
• total
• vaporize
• waste
• wrack
• wreck

Examples of decimate in a Sentence

This kind of moth is responsible for decimating thousands of trees in our town.

Budget cuts have decimated public services in small towns.

Recent Examples on the Web

Rams Hernández: Rams’ failure to protect Matthew Stafford threatens to derail more than their season Sept. 16, 2024 In 2022, the Rams were decimated by injuries and finished 5-12, the worst Super Bowl hangover in history, but this series of injuries is different, McVay said. —Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2024

In the past eleven months, Gazan society has been decimated—the physical infrastructure has been decimated. —Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2024

With the most vulnerable and underprivileged neighborhoods in the city decimated, and Oz’s boss Carmine Falcone dead, Oz decides this is the perfect time to strike. —Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 12 Sep. 2024

Seventy percent of homes and infrastructure are destroyed; hospitals and medical personnel are decimated; no sanitation; disease is spreading; polio, once eliminated, is endangering children; people are starving and widespread famine is threatening; mental trauma is extreme. —Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin decimatus, past participle of decimare, from decimus tenth, from decem ten

First Known Use

1660, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

decimate

verb

dec·​i·​mate ˈdes-ə-ˌmāt 

decimated; decimating

1

: to pick by lot and kill every tenth man of

the Roman army would decimate a legion for cowardice

2

: to destroy a large part of

a population decimated by an epidemic

decimation

ˌdes-ə-ˈmā-shən 

noun