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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Recent Examples of decimate
Samuels, a 6-foot-2 guard from Forestville, Md., signed with UConn as the No. 41 prospect in the Class of 2023 and averaged 12.3 minutes per game during her freshman campaign when the roster was decimated by season-ending injuries.
—
Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 11 Apr. 2025
All of these stocks have been decimated in the past week to April 7, with Oxy down 21%, FANG off 22%, OVV -24%, and CRGY -30%.
—Christopher Helman, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Red wolves were once common throughout the Eastern and South Central US, but intensive predator control programs and habitat loss have decimated their numbers.
—Emily Mullin, Wired News, 7 Apr. 2025
This species, native to French Polynesia, was decimated by the invasive rosy wolf snail but has been successfully reintroduced into its natural habitat thanks to conservation efforts.
—Stories By Real-Time News Team, With Ai Summarization, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decimate
Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 11 Apr. 2025
All of these stocks have been decimated in the past week to April 7, with Oxy down 21%, FANG off 22%, OVV -24%, and CRGY -30%.
—Christopher Helman, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Red wolves were once common throughout the Eastern and South Central US, but intensive predator control programs and habitat loss have decimated their numbers.
—Emily Mullin, Wired News, 7 Apr. 2025
This species, native to French Polynesia, was decimated by the invasive rosy wolf snail but has been successfully reintroduced into its natural habitat thanks to conservation efforts.
—Stories By Real-Time News Team, With Ai Summarization, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decimate
Verb
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More than half a dozen tornadoes have been confirmed, including one in Marshall County, Oklahoma, that left two homes completely destroyed and damaged about 20 others.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2025
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The war has destroyed vast parts of Gaza and most of its food production capabilities.—
Melanie Lidman,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The loss has brought yet another heartbreak for the Townsend family, stemming from the mass shooting that devastated this suburban Denver community 26 years ago.—
Nicquel Terry Ellis,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2025
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At first, Tyrion's owner was devastated with her dog's diagnosis.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
27 Apr. 2025
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There is nothing that can ruin trying to sleep through a redeye like the sunrise hitting your face.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Purdy put his reporter’s hat back on and dug up that the 38 S. Fifth St. house — which would have sat in the plaza just south of the city council chambers — was demolished after an arson fire damaged it beyond repair.—
Sal Pizarro,
Mercury News,
19 Apr. 2025
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In Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, residents said the Israeli military demolished more homes in the city, which has all come under Israeli control in the past days in what Israeli leaders said was an expansion of security zones in Gaza to put more pressure on Hamas to release remaining hostages.—
Nidal al-Mughrabi,
USA Today,
16 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Public trust has been shattered, and a change was needed so the system can begin to rebuild.—
Kaitlin McCallum,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2025
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Tobias is shattered by the negative response, but Gabin’s aggression doesn’t do anything to pull Tobias together.—
Oliver Sava,
Vulture,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The cops also seized his cellphone and tore apart his home of two years, wrecking his recording setup in the process.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
26 Apr. 2025
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As many little heartbeats as possible, just running around, wrecking stuff in the house.—
Kayla Grant,
People.com,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
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In the past half decade, whole strata of this intricate New York support system have been smashed.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2025
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The Red Sox first baseman smashed his second three-run homer in two nights in an 8-5 loss to the Seattle Mariners.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Decimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decimate. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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