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 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 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 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 See All Example Sentences for decimated
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decimated
Verb
  • The tall, steep mountains that rise to 6,000 feet in elevation in the Grandfather District saw triple digit winds and some of the heaviest rainfall of the storm with hundreds of miles of trail and road destroyed.
    Graham Averill, Outside, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Alshon cruised past Johnson 3,7 in a surprise, while Garnett destroyed Haworth 4,1 to set up a very solid final.
    Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • When faced with Cherry going berserk, what can Laura do but visit Cherry’s mother and learn that Cherry nearly killed her dad and ruined an ex-boyfriend’s wedding by filling his cake with raw pig parts?
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Our family has been ruined by Denise's lies of promising to end a year-long affair.
    Stephanie Wenger, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Hours later, after another warning was posted on X by the Israeli military, a multi-story building in Gaza City was struck but not demolished.
    Tim Lister, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2025
  • In a shocking and dominant performance, Lesnar completely demolished Cena, delivering 16 German suplexes in a one-sided beatdown to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
    Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Jeffco Public Schools Superintendent Tracy Dorland said she was devastated and angry about the shooting.
    Katie Langford, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
  • June’s death in May 2003 left the music legend devastated.
    Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Getty Images The nascent campaign has already shattered the record for philanthropic money raised in support of hosting an Olympic and Paralympic Games.
    Blythe Lawrence, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • When your industry is being shattered by greed?
    Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • However, even after the lighthouse started operating, ships still wrecked nearby, including the Los Angeles in 1894 and the Majestic in 1909.
    A.K. Whitney, Oc Register, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Kitchens were wrecked, and diners were an endangered species.
    Beth D'Addono, Southern Living, 28 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • After McNeil refused to get out of his car, Bowers smashed the driver’s side window, punched McNeil in the head and pulled him out of the SUV.
    Christopher Cann, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Protesters smashed windows and looted local businesses and set government buildings on fire.
    Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Decimated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decimated. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

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