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
Business Insider In Phoenix, the country’s call-center capital, AI is decimating working-class careers.
—
Kristin Stoller, Fortune, 1 June 2026
The Mets lost Ronny Mauricio to a fractured thumb in Anaheim, decimating the once-robust infield depth.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 11 May 2026
Other aims the administration has stated include destroying Iran's ballistic missile capabilities, decimating its navy and stopping its support for regional militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 6 May 2026
No doubt the best-case scenario here is that the Samsung workers win…and get the right to continue manufacturing the mechanisms needed to fuel the large language models that are decimating jobs worldwide.
—Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 16 Apr. 2026
In the early 2000s, fishermen from other parts of Indonesia and Southeast Asia used explosives and large nets, damaging corals, decimating shark populations and forcing local residents who relied on fishing to travel as far as 10 kilometers (6 miles) offshore for a catch.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
One of the more important revelations from Netanyahu’s press conference was about how the joint strikes with the United States, known as Operation Epic Fury, have been extremely effective at decimating Iran’s weapons.
—Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 20 Mar. 2026
Among those objectives are preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and decimating the country’s naval capabilities.
—Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 13 Mar. 2026
But these relatively weak protections for hundreds of acres of identical plants have resulted in outbreaks decimating crops that people depend on.
—Lily Peck, The Conversation, 17 Feb. 2026
Kristin Stoller, Fortune, 1 June 2026
The Mets lost Ronny Mauricio to a fractured thumb in Anaheim, decimating the once-robust infield depth.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 11 May 2026
Other aims the administration has stated include destroying Iran's ballistic missile capabilities, decimating its navy and stopping its support for regional militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 6 May 2026
No doubt the best-case scenario here is that the Samsung workers win…and get the right to continue manufacturing the mechanisms needed to fuel the large language models that are decimating jobs worldwide.
—Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 16 Apr. 2026
In the early 2000s, fishermen from other parts of Indonesia and Southeast Asia used explosives and large nets, damaging corals, decimating shark populations and forcing local residents who relied on fishing to travel as far as 10 kilometers (6 miles) offshore for a catch.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
One of the more important revelations from Netanyahu’s press conference was about how the joint strikes with the United States, known as Operation Epic Fury, have been extremely effective at decimating Iran’s weapons.
—Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 20 Mar. 2026
Among those objectives are preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and decimating the country’s naval capabilities.
—Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 13 Mar. 2026
But these relatively weak protections for hundreds of acres of identical plants have resulted in outbreaks decimating crops that people depend on.
—Lily Peck, The Conversation, 17 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decimating
Verb
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It was compounded when a West Contra Costa storage unit caught fire, destroying Alvin’s belongings, their mother testified.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
-
Truly domesticating bees required a hive with movable frames, one that would allow beekeepers to examine their bees and harvest honey without destroying the colony.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 May 2026
Verb
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Two runners scored, ruining Tech ace Nijaree Canady’s shutout.—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
-
The Los Angeles Dodgers are ruining baseball.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
Verb
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The plan involves demolishing the building and constructing a near-replica on the same Beatties Ford Road footprint.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
29 May 2026
-
Indeed, back in the 1990s and 2000s, municipalities across the country were happily demolishing Brutalist eyesores made to house the poor.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
Verb
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Over the prairie there would be lightning that evening, dropping in shattering bolts from swollen purple clouds.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
-
Renowned for his defense-shattering runs, vision, and dribbling, his time at FC Barcelona was legendary.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
3 June 2026
Verb
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The British government refused to subsidize food prices or restrict exports of Irish agricultural goods, further devastating the island.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
-
The carp have already shifted Mississippi River ecosystems by crowding out native fish, devastating some areas.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Those teams already are wrecking the owners’ claims that baseball lacks competitive balance.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
-
Junk yards and auto wrecking services will soon be paying $354 instead of $273 for their new license, and secondhand dealers will see reduced fees — paying $354 instead of $480.—
Julie Gallant,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 May 2026
Verb
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Video shows a gang of Pokémon card thieves smashing display cases at a New Jersey hobby store and filling a trash bag with thousands of dollars worth of collectibles, according to police.—
Nick Caloway,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
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In 2016, voters were asked to choose between a populist candidate dogged by questions about his integrity, judgment, decency, civility, empathy, and respect for everyone from complete strangers to his own wife, and an overqualified, glass-ceiling-smashing woman.—
Shannon A. Mullen,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decimating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decimating. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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