as in to destroy
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
the army's attack decimated the enemy's defenses beyond repair
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of decimate
Iran has been, essentially, decimated.
—
Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
Starting in the 1980s, the drug epidemic that decimated so many American cities was treated as an issue of law enforcement rather than an issue of public health.
—Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
The upper ranks of the dictatorial regime’s leadership have been decimated.
—Kazem Kazerounian, Hartford Courant, 1 Apr. 2026
Iran has been, essentially, decimated.
—Jon Gambrell, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for decimate
Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
Starting in the 1980s, the drug epidemic that decimated so many American cities was treated as an issue of law enforcement rather than an issue of public health.
—Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
The upper ranks of the dictatorial regime’s leadership have been decimated.
—Kazem Kazerounian, Hartford Courant, 1 Apr. 2026
Iran has been, essentially, decimated.
—Jon Gambrell, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for decimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decimate
Verb
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Later, a fire at Hall’s grandmother’s house would destroy most of his magic act.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
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This time around, in that first wave of strikes on February 28, American cruise missiles targeted and destroyed a building that ended up being a girls’ school—killing more than 168 young children who had just started their day of classes.—
Connor Okeeffe,
Oc Register,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The mother of a 7-month-old girl killed by a stray bullet while sitting in her stroller in Brooklyn is devastated by Wednesday's horrific tragedy.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
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On May 18, 1980, the north slope of Mount Saint Helens, a volcanic peak in the Cascades Range, was blasted away in an eruption that killed 57 people and devastated an area of approximately 200 square miles.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
29 Mar. 2026
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Accused of ruining baseball with their big-spending ways the past two years, the noise has only gotten louder as a labor showdown looms.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The project, which was announced by the White House in July, became a highly controversial undertaking when the East Wing was suddenly demolished to accommodate the 90,000 square foot ballroom.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
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The Panorama City facility is set to demolish its main ice rink, leaving athletes who use the center with a smaller, non-regulation rink.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But customers should not expect earth-shattering menu changes.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
2 Apr. 2026
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World Cup That dream come true feeling Some dreams were shattered last night, other dreams were made.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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One such attack on March 27 wrecked an AWACS at Prince Sultan Air Base in eastern Saudi Arabia.—
Sig Christenson,
San Antonio Express-News,
1 Apr. 2026
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The war goes on, and Iran has shown its ability to hit American targets in the region, as well as to wreck the global economy.—
Steve Chapman,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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One of the men is seen on surveillance video smashing the front door with a metal object and connecting the ATM to the vehicle using a metal cable.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Mar. 2026
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Particle accelerators like the LHC typically work by firing beams of particles at nearly the speed of light and smashing them together.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decimate. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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