devastate

verb

dev·as·tate | \ ˈde-və-ˌstāt

devastated; devastating

Definition of devastate

1 : to bring to ruin or desolation by violent action a country devastated by war The typhoon devastated the island.

2 : to reduce to chaos, disorder, or helplessness : overwhelm devastated by grief Her wisecrack devastated the class.

Other Words from devastate Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about devastate

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Other Words from devastate

devastation \ ˌde-və-ˈstā-shən

\ noun

devastative \ ˈde-və-ˌstā-tiv

\ adjective

devastator \ ˈde-və-ˌstā-tər

\ noun

Synonyms for devastate

Synonyms

destroy, ravage, ruin, scourge

Choose the Right Synonym for devastate

ravage, devastate, waste, sack, pillage, despoil mean to lay waste by plundering or destroying. ravage implies violent often cumulative depredation and destruction. a hurricane ravaged the coast devastate implies the complete ruin and desolation of a wide area. an earthquake devastated the city waste may imply producing the same result by a slow process rather than sudden and violent action. years of drought had wasted the area sack implies carrying off all valuable possessions from a place. barbarians sacked ancient Rome pillage implies ruthless plundering at will but without the completeness suggested by sack. settlements pillaged by Vikings despoil applies to looting or robbing without suggesting accompanying destruction. the Nazis despoiled the art museums

Examples of devastate in a Sentence

The flood devastated the town. The disease has devastated the area's oak tree population. The hurricane left the island completely devastated.

Recent Examples on the Web

Corporations are spraying pesticides that harm the soil, spearheading irrigation projects that devastate river beds, and decreasing the number of natural resources available to communities that rely upon them. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "A Brazilian Modeling Superstar Makes a Life-Changing Journey Into the Amazon," 7 Mar. 2019 The Islamic State group also claimed responsibility for those attacks, which, along with the attack at the Imperial Hotel, devastated the country’s tourism sector as travel agencies pulled out and governments issued travel warnings. — Bouazza Ben Bouazza, The Seattle Times, "17 on trial in deadly Tunisian beach attack on UK tourists," 29 Jan. 2019 As Hurricane Florence continues to barrel toward the Carolinas, those in its path are reminded of other major storms that devastated the area and cost billions to the coastal towns. — Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Fox News, "Hurricane Florence reminds Carolinas of Hugo, other major storms," 12 Sep. 2018 The Puerto Ricans arrived after last year’s Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm that devastated the U.S. island. — Washington Post, "Housing extended for 1,700 Puerto Rican hurricane evacuees," 1 July 2018 If Zac Efron has been your celebrity crush since High School Musical premiered in 2006, you might be slightly devastated to know that the actor is rumored to be off the market these days. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "Everything You Need to Know About Zac Efron's Love Life," 6 Mar. 2019 When Calls the Heart devastated its loyal viewers when the show revealed the heartbreaking death of Jack Thornton during the season 5 finale. — Megan Stein, Country Living, "Why Did 'When Calls the Heart' Star Daniel Lissing Really Leave the Show?," 24 Feb. 2019 Carlos Román Román, an administrator at the Department of Labor and Human Resources in Puerto Rico, said those efforts were expanding even before Maria devastated the island in 2017. — Erin Ailworth And, WSJ, "In Need of Workers, the Midwest Recruits From Puerto Rico," 14 Feb. 2019 After Puerto Rico was devastated by a massive hurricane last year, Musk sent Tesla Powerwall batteries and offered solar services to help rebuild the island's electrical grid. — Ashley Wong, USA TODAY, "Elon Musk is sending a team to Thailand to help with cave rescue," 6 July 2018

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