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

While a majority of New Empire takes place in the largely CGI Hollow Earth, some scenes show buildings being decimated and civilians running away to avoid being stepped on. —Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024

Coincidentally, survivors of the 1974 Sayler Park tornado met at the community's recreation center Wednesday to recall the tornado that decimated their neighborhood 50 years ago. —The Enquirer, 6 Apr. 2024

Made less than 10 years after the U.S. decimated Hiroshima and Nagasaki with atomic bombs, the original Godzilla is a thoughtful, haunting film, and an outstanding example of how humans use storytelling to process trauma. —Katie Rife, EW.com, 28 Mar. 2024

The rise of these social-media giants—and the industry-wide shift to prioritizing mobile experiences—decimated BlackPlanet’s numbers in the years after it was acquired. —Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024

However, Hank eventually found his wife and kids, took them back to Vault 32 and decimated Shady Sands. —Jordan Moreau, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024

Bettmann Archive/Getty Images The Unification Church’s focus on donations has intensified as family infighting has decimated its coffers. —TIME, 4 Apr. 2024

Climate & Environment Starvation has decimated gray whales off the Pacific Coast. —Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024

Last year’s Hollywood strikes underscored fears of AI decimating industry jobs. —Kylie Robison, Fortune, 28 Mar. 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