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
For Chondwe, that conjured up nightmarish memories of the 1980s, '90s and early 2000s, when HIV had decimated his community.
—
Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 6 Sep. 2025
And under Trump, research universities are losing funding and climate initiatives are being decimated.
—Julia Rendleman, ProPublica, 5 Sep. 2025
Lemieux and her husband discussed starting a theater company, one that specialized in local playwrights and actors, but after COVID, the performing arts were decimated.
—Rick Mauch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2025
The Lost Bus takes us inside the hellish inferno of the 2018 Camp fire that decimated the town of Paradise in Northern California.
—Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decimate
Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 6 Sep. 2025
And under Trump, research universities are losing funding and climate initiatives are being decimated.
—Julia Rendleman, ProPublica, 5 Sep. 2025
Lemieux and her husband discussed starting a theater company, one that specialized in local playwrights and actors, but after COVID, the performing arts were decimated.
—Rick Mauch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2025
The Lost Bus takes us inside the hellish inferno of the 2018 Camp fire that decimated the town of Paradise in Northern California.
—Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decimate
Verb
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Acosta allowed it, and IMG destroyed them.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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Later, Howard calls Matt and agrees to cut the sequence but also threatens to destroy him.—
Carson Blackwelder,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Deadly floods in Asia have devastated crops, crippling already fragile food production.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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The glossy marketing doesn't include a footnote about trust funds, family support or the ability to absorb year-over-year losses that would devastate most working families.—
Elle Wang,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
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Our family has been ruined by Denise's lies of promising to end a year-long affair.—
Stephanie Wenger,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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About 90% of the former Spring Hill Mall is gone and work demolishing the final anchor store set to begin in the next couple of weeks, officials said.—
Gloria Casas,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Sep. 2025
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If the city officially adds the structures to the dangerous buildings list, an inspector will issue orders to demolish them or repair them.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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His staff acknowledged congratulatory comments on social media and posted photos of an encounter with someone whose car window was shattered after refusing to open it.—
Elliot Spagat,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
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Jorma Taccone, one part of the comedy trio The Lonely Island, was hospitalized after shattering his pelvis upon falling 20 feet off a ladder at his home.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Jerry Jeudy makes far too much money to wreck possessions with two drops, one that killed a drive and another that resulted in a crushing interception.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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The sophomore, who is the youngest player ever voted captain under coach Jay Norvell, was a one-man wrecking crew against the Huskies with a game-high 13 tackles.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Shoplifting became a political lighting rod, and videos of thieves smashing store windows and grabbing merchandise rocketed across the news and social media as a symbol of a breakdown across cities.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
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The forward smashed a strike across the goalkeeper and into the top corner, before wheeling away in emotional celebration.—
Joseph O'Sullivan,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Decimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decimate. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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