as in extermination
formal
a usually violent act in which something is damaged or destroyed or in which a person or animal is killed
The town had somehow escaped the depredations of enemy soldiers.
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Recent Examples of depredation
No amount of macho beatdowns in the UFC cage matches on the White House lawn will make anyone forget Epstein’s depredations.
—
Maureen Dowd,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
The striped bass shark depredations have also been occurring off Chatham’s Monomoy Island — a hotspot for seals, which attract great white sharks.
—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
15 June 2026
More than $1 million has reportedly been paid to rancher claimants for wildlife depredation.
—
Dp Opinion,
Denver Post,
18 May 2026
His nanny was his fierce protector and insulated him from the depredations of Nazis and their enablers, baptizing him and teaching him to handily hurl anti-Jewish epithets to fit in.
—
Ron Kampeas,
Sun Sentinel,
11 May 2026
Federal prosecutors charged Castillo with depredation of government property.
—
Brandon Downs,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
That means hunting, fishing, ranching, and basic depredation practices for wildlife management would all be banned — among countless other common practices like pest control.
—
Alex Robinson,
Outdoor Life,
8 Apr. 2026
In those cases, the GFP says mountain lions were lethally removed due to livestock depredation, attacks on pets, or concerns and threats to public safety.
—
Angela George,
Sioux Falls Argus Leader,
20 Mar. 2026
In October 2024, 20 mountain lions were killed through depredation permits statewide, the DFW reported.
—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
28 Jan. 2026
Maureen Dowd,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
The striped bass shark depredations have also been occurring off Chatham’s Monomoy Island — a hotspot for seals, which attract great white sharks.
—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
15 June 2026
More than $1 million has reportedly been paid to rancher claimants for wildlife depredation.
—
Dp Opinion,
Denver Post,
18 May 2026
His nanny was his fierce protector and insulated him from the depredations of Nazis and their enablers, baptizing him and teaching him to handily hurl anti-Jewish epithets to fit in.
—
Ron Kampeas,
Sun Sentinel,
11 May 2026
Federal prosecutors charged Castillo with depredation of government property.
—
Brandon Downs,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
That means hunting, fishing, ranching, and basic depredation practices for wildlife management would all be banned — among countless other common practices like pest control.
—
Alex Robinson,
Outdoor Life,
8 Apr. 2026
In those cases, the GFP says mountain lions were lethally removed due to livestock depredation, attacks on pets, or concerns and threats to public safety.
—
Angela George,
Sioux Falls Argus Leader,
20 Mar. 2026
In October 2024, 20 mountain lions were killed through depredation permits statewide, the DFW reported.
—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
28 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for depredation
Noun
-
There, something of a muskrat panic resulted in a war of extermination upon the animals starting in the early 1930s.
-
Timothy Wong, technical director of MMPC, a pest management company that provides residential and commercial extermination, prevention, and property protection services, prioritizing environmentally friendly, natural pest control solutions.
Noun
-
David Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist, told the the Washington Post he was arrested on June 19 and charged with misdemeanor destruction of government property.
-
This came on the heels of another round of tornadoes just four days earlier that leveled buildings and caused widespread destruction across the region.
Noun
-
With ruthless competitors who will stop at nothing to dethrone and destroy them, the Whitlocks are a blue-collar dynasty at the edge of extinction – and the old king is fighting to hold onto the crown.
-
Companies should think of the SaaSpocalypse as an urgent wake-up call, treating this moment as an opportunity for evolution rather than an extinction event.
Noun
-
Ruthye needs someone to avenge the slaughter of her family at the hands of Krem of the Yellow Hills.
-
The cabin sat on the banks of the not-so-mighty Potomac, looking north toward Antietam Creek and the great slaughter of September 17, 1862, and on the site of the Battle of Boteler’s Ford, fought two days later.
Noun
-
Investigators said interviews with Sayer after his arrest indicated he was influenced by the Columbine High School massacre in 1999 that left 13 dead.
-
Sacramento County prosecutors have placed Martin and Payton at the center of the massacre, a shootout at 10th and K streets that prosecutors say was fueled by gang rivalry, score-settling, anger and bravado, with deadly consequences.
Noun
-
Following years of economic devastation and underinvestment in public services, the country’s infrastructure – from hospitals to electricity and water – is ill-equipped to deal with a crisis like this.
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And then there's water damage and the devastation caused by flooding.
Cite this Entry
“Depredation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/depredation. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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