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
  • Repeating the experiment with other plants, including tomatoes and wheat, yielded similar results—but an encounter with putrefying animal tissues had no effect.
    — Joanna Thompson, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2026
  • East of Eden is a tome obsessed with guilt, sin, ambition, race, the land as healing and capitalism as putrefying, the nature of fate and the question of free will, and the role money and inheritance play in either our corruption or our cleansing.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of putrefy
Verb
  • The body of 76-year-old Ronald Tyler was already decomposing by the time his daughter Terri found out where he was being stored.
    — Dave Savini, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The coins were originally buried together in a container made of organic material that has since decomposed, archaeologists believe.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of decompose
Verb
  • With each impact, Sarah’s face disintegrates into a bloodier pulp, her bone structure buckling under every successive thud until Nikki has finally and irrevocably rendered the character a faceless corpse.
    — Chris Lee, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The space shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry because of a piece of foam that the astronaut estimates might have weighed about as much as a Styrofoam container.
    — Laura Zornosa, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of disintegrate
Verb
  • At every stop, Talarico has argued that, for too long, the wealthy and their donations have corrupted politics, and that this corruption has fueled the affordability crisis.
    — STEVEN SLOAN, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2026
  • And that includes his warning that TV news has been corrupted by the agendas of the powerful, wealthy billionaires who now control a large portion of the media.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of corrupt
Verb
  • With a major election less than a week away, candidates and their consultants are pounding Floridians with a barrage of words — some intended to cast themselves in a flattering light, some intended to smear and degrade their opponents.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Faulkner said he is fed up with Citation’s yearslong pattern of degrading his pastures.
    — Nick Bowlin, ProPublica, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of degrade
Verb
  • Except in the extreme, legislators are loath to devalue local autonomy while also prioritizing delivery of state aid to diminish local tax burdens.
    — David Bloomfield, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026
  • While rain chances will diminish, clouds will hang tough through much of the day, and northeast winds will pick up slightly to 5 to 10 mph.
    — Mary Wasson, Austin American Statesman, 31 Oct. 2026
Definition of diminish
Verb
  • Piker stumped for the Michigander in the primaries before receding somewhat.
    — Abigail Sylvor Greenberg, Vanity Fair, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Brevard Supervisor of Elections Tim Bobanic was hopeful the waters would recede by Tuesday but was still looking for alternative polling places if the original sites weren’t accessible.
    — Roger Simmons, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of recede
Verb
  • The Victoria and Albert Museum is planning to downsize its adult-learning program, the V&A Academy, amid broader threats of staff cuts.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Empty nesters looking to downsize can't find an affordable place to go, and longtime homeowners are reluctant to move at all, given current high mortgage rates.
    — Jennifer Ludden, NPR, 23 Oct. 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 4 Nov. 2026.

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