as in destroyed
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 decimated
Havertz looked utterly forlorn, visibly distressed to pick up yet another injury after a year decimated by two serious surgeries and long spells of rehabilitation.
—
Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Vilmanis doing so during the middle of the season when Florida was still in the playoff hunt, Benning to close out the season as essentially the Panthers’ blue line was decimated with injuries down the stretch.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2026
Docile, furry and cute to some, possums have become an unexpected ally in the effort to slow the invasion of Burmese pythons, a snake that has decimated ecosystems in Florida.
—South Florida Sun Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026
Bartolo was born and raised in the Arkansas River Valley, where water rights sell-offs to Front Range cities in the 1970s decimated farm fields and towns.
—Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for decimated
Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Vilmanis doing so during the middle of the season when Florida was still in the playoff hunt, Benning to close out the season as essentially the Panthers’ blue line was decimated with injuries down the stretch.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2026
Docile, furry and cute to some, possums have become an unexpected ally in the effort to slow the invasion of Burmese pythons, a snake that has decimated ecosystems in Florida.
—South Florida Sun Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026
Bartolo was born and raised in the Arkansas River Valley, where water rights sell-offs to Front Range cities in the 1970s decimated farm fields and towns.
—Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for decimated
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decimated
Verb
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The assault killed at least seventeen people, including a twelve-year-old boy, wounded dozens, and destroyed buildings.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
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The 24 staff members in Ruiz Verduzco’s office are tasked with assisting victims and their families, establishing programs in communities destroyed by violence and drumming up financial support.—
Molly Quell,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Also be aware that, according to FEMA, the physical original documents are often ruined by flooding, even in homes that survive damage from wind.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
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Back in the days before the shootout came long and ruined everything diminished the play’s novelty somewhat, a penalty shot would be big news.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Verb
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It has been recommended that the Denver Pavilions be demolished.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
2 May 2026
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It was finally demolished in 2024.—
Rafael Olmeda,
Sun Sentinel,
2 May 2026
Verb
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In his own statement, Steinfeld said Celeste’s parents, brother, and sister were left devastated by the flood of grisly details revealed by prosecutors in a court filing Wednesday.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
1 May 2026
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According to Jackie, Horner’s actions have devastated their family.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 May 2026
Verb
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The public rarely hears about defense features until an incident happens, such as when bullets shattered glass in 2011 or a radar anomaly put authorities on alert in 2019, exposing a missile battery.—
Neil Flanagan,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2026
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With Philadelphia applying pressure, Winn shattered Trea Turner’s bat to induce a 5-4-3 double play, recording the first two outs of the inning.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Elliott, who started 14th, had already taken the white flag when John Hunter Nemechek wrecked in the back of the field after contact with Kyle Busch.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 May 2026
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Two cars were wrecked and two people suffered injuries in a crash on busy Irving Park Road in the neighborhood of the same name early Monday morning.—
Kris Habermehl,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Fresh off her time on the dance competition show, the mother of three made her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in Chicago, which smashed the musical's box office record with the highest weekly ticket sales in the show's 29-year history.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
4 May 2026
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During the June 2025 anti-ICE protests in downtown Los Angeles, demonstrators smashed, spray-painted, and torched at least six Waymo robotaxis.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decimated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decimated. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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