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
Pete Hegseth acknowledges that Iran still has some missiles and launchers despite saying its defenses were decimated.
—
Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 17 Apr. 2026
Windfalls for winning reality shows and game shows have been decimated by inflation.
—thehustle.co, 17 Apr. 2026
No doubt the best-case scenario here is that the Samsung workers win…and get the right to continue manufacturing the mechanisms needed to fuel the large language models that are decimating jobs worldwide.
—Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 16 Apr. 2026
The Cubs are trying to survive this challenging stretch as they have been decimated by pitching injuries.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for decimate
Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 17 Apr. 2026
Windfalls for winning reality shows and game shows have been decimated by inflation.
—thehustle.co, 17 Apr. 2026
No doubt the best-case scenario here is that the Samsung workers win…and get the right to continue manufacturing the mechanisms needed to fuel the large language models that are decimating jobs worldwide.
—Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 16 Apr. 2026
The Cubs are trying to survive this challenging stretch as they have been decimated by pitching injuries.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for decimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decimate
Verb
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Similarly, corruption or physical damage might destroy a file’s header, which contains its identifying metadata, while leaving other parts of it untouched.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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The Jeep crashed into a concrete barrier after clipping the other car, destroying part of the barrier, Adams County Fire Rescue officials said.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Celeste’s family was overwhelmed and devastated to hear details of the allegations against d4vd during his arraignment on Monday, their attorney, Patrick Steinfeld, told CNN.—
Andi Babineau,
CNN Money,
23 Apr. 2026
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The county hired a big-shot San Francisco law firm to fight against its own hardworking people whose lives were devastated two years ago.—
Kristine Alessio,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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These tenacious insects discreetly land on your skin, leaving sudden, itchy, and painful bites that can swell and turn red, ruining a perfectly pleasant outdoor evening.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
18 Apr. 2026
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Who knew that an attempt to ruin Iran’s navy and army would result in the demilitarization of the West?—
Rachel Marsden,
Hartford Courant,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After six years of plans to redevelop the shuttered MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island, the owners would like to demolish the building and build a data center on the property, according to city officials.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
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In January, Publix closed its 40-year-old Palms store and by mid-April it was demolished to make way for a bigger, contemporary supermarket.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Word of Smith’s death had shattered his family, especially his father, who can’t believe his son is gone.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2026
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The incredible true story of Takeru Kobayashi — or how a skinny 22-year-old from Japan shattered world records at the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest and catapulted the fringe spectacle of competitive eating into a wildly lucrative American sports phenomenon.—
Hilary Lewis,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Depending on the position, that option can wreck a salary cap.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
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Girls getting wrecked on prom night?—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Lyrids are known for producing bright, fast-moving meteors that tend to lack persistent trails, but have the potential to spawn spectacular fireballs as larger chunks of Comet Thatcher smash into Earth's atmosphere.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
9 Apr. 2026
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In footage shared by the BBC on X, Medvedev, who suffered a 6-0 6-0 loss during the 49-minute match, was filmed smashing up his tennis racket six times and angrily tossing it across the court.—
Gina Kalsi,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decimate. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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