decimate

verb

dec·​i·​mate ˈde-sə-ˌmāt 

decimated; decimating

transitive verb

1

history : to select by lot and kill every tenth member 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

An outbreak of 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

A fire decimated the city.

an industry decimated by recession

decimation

ˌde-sə-ˈmā-shən 

noun

Did you know?

Decimate is a word that often raises hackles, at least those belonging to a small but committed group of logophiles who feel that it is commonly misused. The issue that they have with the decline and fall of the word decimate is that once upon a time in ancient Rome it had a very singular meaning: “to select by lot and kill every tenth man of a military unit.” However, many words in English descended from Latin have changed and/or expanded their meanings in their travels. For example, we no longer think of sinister as meaning “on the left side,” and delicious can describe things both tasty and delightful. Was the “to kill every tenth man” meaning the original use of decimate in English? Yes, but not by much. It took only a few decades for decimate to acquire its broader, familiar meaning of “to severely damage or destroy,” which has been employed steadily since the 17th century.

Synonyms of decimate

• destroy
• demolish
• ruin
• devastate
• shatter
• 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

The Justice Department, for instance, decimated its elite Public Integrity Section in early 2025 while the FBI disbanded a white-collar fraud and public corruption squad based out of its Washington field office. — Patrick Whittle, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026

The Justice Department, for instance, decimated its elite Public Integrity Section in early 2025 and the FBI disbanded a white-collar fraud and public corruption squad based out of its Washington field office. — Patrick Whittle, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

The transformations that have decimated protest movements—undone by digitization, atomization, and the evanescence of online life—have also affected shame and its ability to mediate social norms without the intervention of the state. — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2026

Those numbers tell a powerful story, including decimating a Children’s Services Council approved by county voters in 2000. — Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026

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

Rhymes for decimate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

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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