decimated

past tense of decimate
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of decimated The Crises at a Glance Gaza Ongoing violence in Gaza has decimated infrastructure and disrupted access to essential services. Trickleup, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025 In New Orleans, entire neighborhoods were decimated. Reena Advani, NPR, 1 Sep. 2025 The animal was once widespread, but logging in old-growth and coniferous forests decimated their habitats. Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2025 Layoffs and departures have decimated key parts of the publication; Vanity Fair still has no managing editor and no full-time social media staff. Max Tani, semafor.com, 25 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for decimated
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decimated
Verb
  • However, all three have been destroyed in separate accidents, the latest of which occurred on March 17, 2025, when a Heron Mk1 crashed into a helicopter while landing, totaling both aircraft but luckily not causing any casualties.
    Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
  • The video shows a couch completely destroyed, with stuffing pulled out and the frame exposed down to the springs.
    Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • To him, the field looked ruined — nothing like the stiff, proud stalks of wheat growing nearby.
    Julia Rendleman, ProPublica, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Our family has been ruined by Denise's lies of promising to end a year-long affair.
    Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Additionally, several existing dilapidated buildings on the site will be demolished and their concrete recycled and partly reused to realize the new structures.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Archaeologists believe that Ayscough's house was demolished after a fire destroyed it in the early 1800s – but its remains have only just been uncovered in new excavations.
    Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • However, fans and even former houseguests, many devastated, took to social media to voice their anger with the show.
    David Wysong, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Lebanon was devastated by a year-long conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, triggered by the militia’s backing of Hamas after the Palestinian militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
    Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The family faces a critical point that will either make their bond stronger or leave it shattered forever.
    Joyce Orlando, The Tennessean, 29 Aug. 2025
  • When gunfire shattered a routine Mass marking the first week of class at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, middle school students were among those who acted heroically, according to an emergency official, a principal and a parent whose children attend the school.
    Bill Chappell, NPR, 28 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Kitchens were wrecked, and diners were an endangered species.
    Beth D'Addono, Southern Living, 28 Aug. 2025
  • Unfortunately, the winds yesterday undid all that labor and wrecked our structure.
    Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • In a new paper, researchers report that sPHENIX measured both the number and energy of particles produced when gold ions smashed together at nearly light speed.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
  • For twenty years, the rage-fuelled God Kratos has smashed his way across our screens.
    Joshua Lamb, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Decimated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decimated. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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