decimate

verb
dec·​i·​mate | \ ˈde-sə-ˌmāt How to pronounce decimate (audio) \
decimated; decimating

Definition of decimate

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
3a : 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

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Other Words from decimate

decimation \ ˌde-​sə-​ˈmā-​shən How to pronounce decimation (audio) \ 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. It's no surprise that the word for this practice came from Latin decem, meaning "ten." From this root we also get our word decimal and the name of the month of December, originally the tenth month of the calendar before the second king of Rome decided to add January and February. In its extended uses decimate strayed from its "tenth" meaning and nowadays refers to the act of destroying or hurting something in great numbers.

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 As always, Killer Mike and El-P’s rhymes decimate all. Troy L. Smith, cleveland, "Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘WAP’ is the undisputed song of 2020," 6 Dec. 2020 Plenty of businesses have seen the pandemic decimate their prospects as entire industries shut down, or customers pare back. Fortune, "A fortuitously-timed acquisition moved this Fortune 500 fintech’s strategy ‘years ahead’ during COVID," 17 Oct. 2020 Some may argue that closing bars, malls, theaters and other public-facing businesses will decimate our economy and ultimately, hurt students as parents struggle to survive. Dr. Tanya Altmann, CNN, "To open schools safely, mask up and close bars and malls," 1 Dec. 2020 Hypstre was subsequently carried off by dysentery and was buried at the intersection, where his spirit could periodically decimate the business climate. Star Tribune, "Lileks: Uptown Minneapolis is Schrodinger's neighborhood," 6 Nov. 2020 The drug industry hates the idea, and says the policy would virtually decimate innovation. Nicholas Florko, STAT, "How Trump could use a rare regulatory maneuver to lower drug prices before Election Day, and how it could backfire," 3 Sep. 2020 Parts of Asia have largely contained COVID-19, but the region's air carriers remain mostly grounded as border closures and quarantine requirements continue to decimate demand. Grady Mcgregor, Fortune, "‘Flights to nowhere’ are popular. Experts explain the psychology behind the COVID-era concept," 11 Oct. 2020 The athletic apparel brand has been struggling for several years with faltering sales in its key North American market and has been attempting to engineer a turnaround only to see the pandemic decimate the economy and consumer demand. Lorraine Mirabella, baltimoresun.com, "Under Armour says it did not breach the UCLA athlete uniform contract because COVID-19 disrupted sports season," 9 Oct. 2020 The Asian giant hornet - the world's largest at 2 inches - can decimate entire hives of honeybees and deliver painful stings to humans. CBS News, "More "murder hornet" sightings prompt search for nest in Washington state," 5 Oct. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'decimate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of decimate

1660, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for decimate

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

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Time Traveler for decimate

Time Traveler

The first known use of decimate was in 1660

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Statistics for decimate

Last Updated

16 Dec 2020

Cite this Entry

“Decimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decimate. Accessed 23 Dec. 2020.

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More Definitions for decimate

decimate

verb
How to pronounce decimate (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of decimate

: to destroy a large number of (plants, animals, people, etc.)
: to severely damage or destroy a large part of (something)

decimate

verb
dec·​i·​mate | \ ˈde-sə-ˌmāt \
decimated; decimating

Kids Definition of decimate

1 : to destroy a large number of The insects decimated thousands of trees.
2 : to severely damage or destroy a large part of

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Comments on decimate

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