as in destroying
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 decimating
Those snakes went on to reproduce and thrive in South Florida’s subtropical climate, decimating some ecosystems.
—
Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2026
The administration began its term by decimating scientific research and public health expertise.
—Isabella Cueto, STAT, 29 Dec. 2025
Nearly five years of conflict have since ravaged Myanmar, wedged between China and India, decimating what was for a time one of the region’s fastest-growing economies.
—Ross Adkin, CNN Money, 27 Dec. 2025
In 2018, as California was laying the groundwork to build a new 911 system for the state, a massive fire ripped through Butte County, decimating several Northern California communities and killing over 80 people.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 23 Nov. 2025
Israel, meanwhile, has emerged from the war in a much stronger security position after decimating Hamas in Gaza, slamming Hezbollah in Lebanon, and hammering Iran's nuclear facilities.
—Greg Myre, NPR, 9 Oct. 2025
Through single-cell RNA sequencing, the team indeed saw that glioblastoma upended the skull bone marrow's environment – filling it with pro-inflammatory neutrophils while decimating cancer-fighting antibody-producing B cells.
—New Atlas, 6 Oct. 2025
His latest film, Ocean with David Attenborough, was released in May 2025 just before the United Nations Ocean Conference, showcasing the wonder of underwater habitats while exposing how destructive fishing practices are decimating marine life.
—Elisabeth Brier, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Apart from decimating hundreds of species, the construction of an airport, a power plant, a ship repair yard, and a township will also cut off the tiny Shompen tribe from much of their habitat.
—M. Rajshekhar, Time, 11 Sep. 2025
Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2026
The administration began its term by decimating scientific research and public health expertise.
—Isabella Cueto, STAT, 29 Dec. 2025
Nearly five years of conflict have since ravaged Myanmar, wedged between China and India, decimating what was for a time one of the region’s fastest-growing economies.
—Ross Adkin, CNN Money, 27 Dec. 2025
In 2018, as California was laying the groundwork to build a new 911 system for the state, a massive fire ripped through Butte County, decimating several Northern California communities and killing over 80 people.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 23 Nov. 2025
Israel, meanwhile, has emerged from the war in a much stronger security position after decimating Hamas in Gaza, slamming Hezbollah in Lebanon, and hammering Iran's nuclear facilities.
—Greg Myre, NPR, 9 Oct. 2025
Through single-cell RNA sequencing, the team indeed saw that glioblastoma upended the skull bone marrow's environment – filling it with pro-inflammatory neutrophils while decimating cancer-fighting antibody-producing B cells.
—New Atlas, 6 Oct. 2025
His latest film, Ocean with David Attenborough, was released in May 2025 just before the United Nations Ocean Conference, showcasing the wonder of underwater habitats while exposing how destructive fishing practices are decimating marine life.
—Elisabeth Brier, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Apart from decimating hundreds of species, the construction of an airport, a power plant, a ship repair yard, and a township will also cut off the tiny Shompen tribe from much of their habitat.
—M. Rajshekhar, Time, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decimating
Verb
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Modesto Fire Department Firefighters quickly contained and extinguished the fire, preventing it from destroying the home, officials said.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
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By the way, the last scene of The Conversation has the paranoid Gene Hackman destroying his apartment in a desperate and futile search for listening devices.—
Rose Horowitch,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In fact, for some items, a standard cold wash can be ruining.—
Ashley Chalmers,
The Spruce,
30 Jan. 2026
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The Dodgers’ $240-million signing of Kyle Tucker revived anguished cries that the team is ruining baseball.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Crews are demolishing Westport infrastructure to construct an underground storage basin to hold water that previously would have flooded Westport buildings.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
26 Jan. 2026
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On Thursday morning, crews were nearly finished demolishing the adjacent structures, one of which was damaged by a fire in March 2024.—
Thomas Gounley,
Denver Post,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This set from the Good Grips collection is made of borosilicate glass, which is food-safe like standard glass, but also more resistant to heat—meaning it can be taken out of the freezer and popped straight into the microwave to reheat leftovers without shattering.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
30 Jan. 2026
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Both films feature an early phone call which is clearly shattering for their characters.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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While an eight-game winning run saw Cherki, Foden and Haaland hit their devastating best, three frustrating draws against Sunderland, Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion were characterised by wastefulness in front of goal.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
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Group members want to see Bonta’s office take ownership of a review, as occurred in Hawaii after Maui’s devastating Lahaina fire.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Dosunmu operated at times like a one-man wrecking crew, forcing his way downhill in the half court and cracking open the Heat’s confounded defense in the flow of transition.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
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At other locations in the valley, hospices operated inside strip malls alongside burrito stands, nail salons, dance studios, tax preparers and even an auto parts store and wrecking yard.—
William La Jeunesse,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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By smashing together heavy atoms of lead traveling at near-light speeds using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), scientists can create a high-energy environment that briefly frees gluons and quarks from this atomic bondage, recreating the quark-gluon plasma of the early universe.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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Repurposing waste heat The launch of the system marked the first time that the Large Hadron Collider, better known for smashing protons at near-light speeds, has been tapped as a renewable thermal source.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decimating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decimating. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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