Definition of debase
transitive verb
1 : to lower in status, esteem, quality, or character debased himself by lying to his supporters … a constitutional amendment that would allow Congress to outlaw debasing the American flag. — Time This is not to say that you should be prepared to debase camping standards. — The Scout Leader's Handbook
2a : to reduce the intrinsic value of (a coin) by increasing the base-metal contentb : to reduce the exchange value of (a monetary unit)
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Examples of debase in a Sentence
The governor debased himself by lying to the public.
The holiday has been debased by commercialism.
Recent Examples of debase from the Web
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The announcement may read as hollow given that the Trump Administration has openly supported policies that exclude and debase people of color.
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The debasing view of girls leads many families to rid themselves of these children, seeing girls as a worthless drain on family resources.
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In an age when the term multimedia has become debased through overuse, Iwai demonstrates just what a consummate multimedia artist can really do.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'debase'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
Debase is often used to talk about someone's lowered status or character. People are constantly blustering about the debased tastes of the ordinary American, and especially the debased music of America's youth. A commentator might observe that both candidates had managed to debase themselves by the end of a political campaign. Debase has a special meaning in economics: From time to time, governments find that they need to quietly debase their countries' currency by reducing the percentage of valuable metal in its coins; if they don't, the metal may become more valuable than the coin and people will begin melting the coins down and reselling the metal.
First Known Use of debase
1565
Synonym Discussion of debase
DEBASE Defined for English Language Learners
debase
playDefinition of debase for English Language Learners
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: to lower the value or reputation of (someone or something) : to make (someone or something) less respected
Learn More about debase
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See words that rhyme with debase Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for debase Spanish Central: Translation of debase Nglish: Translation of debase for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of debase for Arabic speakers
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