desolates

verb

present tense third-person singular of desolate
as in destroys
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of totally desolated the city with aerial bombs

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for desolates
  1. destroys
  2. ruins
  3. devastates
  4. demolishes
  5. shatters
  6. wrecks
Verb
  • Ghidorah, a dragon who arrived from outer space, destroys a city in the opening set piece and only gets more dangerous from there.
    — James Grebey, Time, 3 Nov. 2026
  • This overfeeding triggers a runaway nuclear explosion that usually destroys the white dwarf.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of destroys
Verb
  • Luckily, his ex is kind enough to give him a pep talk before Lee ruins the afternoon for everyone.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Nothing ruins a good time like misplaced sympathy, and siding with the man of the house in a series that’s more rooted in women’s perspectives with each passing season just feels wrong.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of ruins
Verb
  • As climate chaos causes oceans to swallow coastlands, and as surging water displaces and devastates communities, social survival will demand that people find ways to live and work with – and on – the water.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The urban planner and former professor also knows what happens next after a powerful earthquake devastates whole communities.
    — Luis Giraldo, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of devastates
Verb
  • An $8,000 Ryvid Anthem or a $10,000 Maeving RM1S will deliver broadly similar urban usability, while the $12,500 Zero FXE absolutely demolishes it on power-per-dollar.
    — Utkarsh Sood June 12, New Atlas, 12 June 2026
  • The latest filing demolishes the timeworn claim that DOGE was infiltrated into Social Security in order to responsibly ferret out fraud and overspending.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
Definition of demolishes
Verb
  • Their peace shatters when Sovieshu rescues Rashta (Lee Se-young), a runaway slave, on a royal hunt and brings her home as his concubine.
    — Ophélie Surcouf, Variety, 3 Nov. 2026
  • When a server migration wipes out Sally’s treasured videos of him — and her phone containing backup copies accidentally shatters — the only hope is finding the original tapes.
    — Rachel LaBonte, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of shatters
Verb
  • If checking your score reliably wrecks your morning, the device isn’t working for you.
    — J. David Creswell, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026
  • That’s because even ordinary winds – and far worse, storms and earthquakes – cause tall buildings to sway, which ruins people’s concentration, wrecks their mood, and even exhausts them.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 July 2026
Definition of wrecks
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.

Browse Nearby Words

desolateness
desolates
desolating
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Cite this Entry

“Desolates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desolates. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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