decimating

present participle of decimate
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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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 decimating Those numbers tell a powerful story, including decimating a Children’s Services Council approved by county voters in 2000. — Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026 Fielder and Oppenheim have created a fascinating portrait of a relationship, decimating notions of objectivity in documentary while also interrogating the limits of fiction. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2026 Radiopharmaceuticals work by directing toxic radiation specifically to cancer cells, decimating them on site. — Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 31 Aug. 2026 The ensuing torrent of ice and rock created a wall of water that slammed into towns and villages that sat on the riverbank, decimating infrastructure and housing. — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026 The president's boasts about decimating the opponent's armed forces haven't prevented it from striking back with drones and missiles. — Susan Page, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026 But unfortunately, this was not the end of wildfires decimating North America this summer. — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 17 Aug. 2026 With no major competition from native predators, the invasive snakes exploded in population while decimating local wildlife. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 5 Aug. 2026 The Devil, a native marsupial unique to Tasmania, is under threat from Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD) which is decimating numbers throughout Tasmania. — John Drake, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decimating
Verb
  • It was defined in a United Nations Convention, adopted in the wake of the Holocaust, as acts that are committed with the intention of destroying — in whole or in part — a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.
    — David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Can the product be restored without destroying what still works?
    — Christopher Kiggins, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Seaver also allegedly threatened to start a podcast dedicated to ruining Parton’s image unless he was paid.
    — Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Even if your appliance feels cool to the touch, warm air rises and can make the top slightly warmer, slowly cooking the wine and ruining the flavor.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • This is not the first time a coach in LAUSD has gotten into trouble trying to improve a facility, with the district issuing disciplinary action and demolishing the improvement because it was not authorized.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
  • On Thursday, the judge ordered the Kennedy Center to provide 30 days' notice before making any major physical changes to the building, including demolishing it.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Man searching with metal detector unearths massive Viking Age fortune, shattering records.
    — , FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Last week a number of concerned mathematicians, many of them at the top of their subject, launched the Association for Human Mathematics (AHM)—an effort that was underway even before the earth-shattering Navier-Stokes news.
    — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 14 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Military force has imposed enormous costs on both Hamas and Iran, devastating their military facilities and killing their commanders.
    — NADIA SCHADLOW, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The country is also recovering from devastating back-to-back earthquakes in June that have so far killed over 6,000 people.
    — Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Here’s how the shift happened, what the ingredient actually does below the neck and how to fold it into a routine without wrecking your skin barrier.
    — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The general public learned of the demolition plan only when the wrecking equipment began work nearly three months later.
    — Dan Diamond, Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • One panel was falling, then smashing on the path, lead relinquishing its long grip on the glass.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The helicopter crashed in a driveway between two warehouses, smashing into a pair of truck cargo containers while the news crew tried grabbing video footage of a serious collision involving a Metro bus that also left two people dead.
    — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Decimating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decimating. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

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