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
Sacramento has been decimated by injuries this season.
—
Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 5 Apr. 2026
The drought years of the early 2020s decimated the eggs, which prompted emergency action even before Newsom announced his salmon plan.
—Rachel Becker, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2026
Although red wolves were once commonly found throughout the Southeast United States, by the 1960s red wolf populations were decimated due to loss of habitat.
—Ashley Soebroto, Houston Chronicle, 4 Apr. 2026
Iran has been essentially decimated.
—James Powel, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for decimate
Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 5 Apr. 2026
The drought years of the early 2020s decimated the eggs, which prompted emergency action even before Newsom announced his salmon plan.
—Rachel Becker, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2026
Although red wolves were once commonly found throughout the Southeast United States, by the 1960s red wolf populations were decimated due to loss of habitat.
—Ashley Soebroto, Houston Chronicle, 4 Apr. 2026
Iran has been essentially decimated.
—James Powel, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for decimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decimate
Verb
-
Toxins build up and start to destroy the kidneys and liver.—
Jerome Groopman,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Renowned for its beauty and ability to attract butterflies, butterfly bush (Buddleia) can spread quickly and outcompete and destroy native plants.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Florida’s citrus industry has been in a steady decline the past 25 years because of Huanglongbing (also known as HLB and citrus greening disease), a bacterial disease that devastates citrus trees.—
Jim Turner,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Apr. 2026
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Last year saw 13 named storms, including five hurricanes, most notably Category 5 Melissa, which devastated Jamaica.—
Mary Gilbert,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Talley went long with an 8-iron into a back bunker on the 12th, the hole that ruined Jordan Spieth's chances of a repeat Masters victory in 2016.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2026
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The multiple mistresses ruined his image; the countless injuries derailed his golf game.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Chappaquiddick would have demolished the career of most, but not Ted, and not in Kennedy country.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
10 Apr. 2026
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Last fall, a portion of the White House East Wing was demolished to make way for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom.—
Tessa Solomon,
ARTnews.com,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In this case, the arc of the season was primed for Batula to be the victim rising from the ashes of her divorce, only for her recent romantic indiscretions to shatter that fantasy.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Apr. 2026
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March 2026 was a historic month for temperatures in the United States, fueled by an extraordinary and prolonged heat wave that shattered temperature records across much of the West, according to a new report released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).—
Dan Peck,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Trump's rocky relationship with NATO dates back to his first term, but the war with Iran has wrecked any remaining foundation, NPR's Franco Ordoñez says.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
9 Apr. 2026
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One is a search for stability, driven by a horror of chaos and by memories of the mayhem that wrecked his childhood and banished him to the cave.—
Michael Sheridan,
Vanity Fair,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Littleton police say the driver behind the wheel of a semi-truck that crashed into a QuickTrip on West Belleview Avenue and smashed a car against a wall is facing careless driving charges.—
Karen Morfitt,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
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Kayleigh Martin smashed a home run, Chloe Veator drove in two runs in Tewksbury’s 4-3 nonleague win over Woburn.—
Jack Murray,
Boston Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decimate. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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