dilapidate

verb

Definition of dilapidatenext
as in to putrefy

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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 dilapidate At the center of the woods, off Haven Beach Road, was a solitary and dilapidated Colonial homestead that burned to the ground. — Bree Sposato, Travel + Leisure, 28 Apr. 2023 Hamdok found that the legacy of 30 years of dictatorship meant that Sudan’s political and economic models were dilapidated. — Justin Lynch, CNN, 17 Apr. 2023 The initial goal was to repair and renovate it; however, this proved to be impossible as the original structure was too dilapidated. — Kimberley Mok, Treehugger, 28 Mar. 2023 The towers would replace a four-acre debris heap where the famed but dilapidated Deauville Beach Resort from the 1950s sat until courts ordered it to be imploded. — Mark Bisnow, Fortune, 27 Mar. 2023 See All Example Sentences for dilapidate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dilapidate
  1. putrefy
  2. decompose
  3. disintegrate
  4. corrupt
  5. degrade
  6. diminish
  7. recede
  8. downsize
Verb
  • Because lose-lose situations are so endemic to the genre, a hint of relief can sometimes accompany the prospect of surrender to the putrefying mob.
    — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2025
  • Fast-forward to now, and the scene has putrefied into a wasteland of the percussive undead.
    — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 2 July 2025
Definition of putrefy
Verb
  • Van der Heijden’s team reported that the fastest decomposing underwear was buried in residential gardens.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Determining the causes of death was complicated by how decomposed the bodies were, the medical examiner’s office said.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of decompose
Verb
  • If that’s the case, eagle-eyed observers may be able to witness the space rock disintegrate in real-time.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2026
  • With all the rain from storms recently, our streets and roads are disintegrating faster.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of disintegrate
Verb
  • The play depends on the creeping eeriness of thinking your place of comfort has been corrupted and undercut by evil.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026
  • There, Prue must go on a journey to save her younger brother Mac from crows led by a woman named Alexandra (Carey Mulligan), who captures Curtis and attempts to corrupt him for her own mysterious purposes.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of corrupt
Verb
  • Iran is expanding its defense capabilities, an Iranian army commander said Wednesday, after much of the country’s equipment was degraded by US-Israeli strikes in the early days of the war.
    — Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The status of its nuclear program, degraded by bombing strikes in 2025, hasn't changed.
    — Susan Page, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of degrade
Verb
  • As more money and attention flow into the space, the challenge is how to capitalize on the cultural cachet of the Grand Slams without diminishing what made that access desirable in the first place.
    — Jessica Schiffer, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2026
  • And the Ku Klux Klan, though diminished from its earlier power, had not disappeared.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of diminish
Verb
  • The stone isn’t the only object to resurface as the Danube’s waters recede.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2026
  • But concerns about inflation and affordability have not receded, including in states with key races this year.
    — Bill Barrow, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of recede
Verb
  • California wine has already been contending with declining demand and global oversupply issues, leading to downsizing, closures and disposal of tons of grapes.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Some are purchasing their first property, others are downsizing, while many are relocating for work or family.
    — Justin Onorato, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of downsize

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Cite this Entry

“Dilapidate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dilapidate. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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