as in to putrefy
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Recent Examples of dilapidate
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 apparent voter approval allows the village to proceed with construction of a new approximate 10,000 square foot clubhouse/pro shop replacing the existing clubhouse that was built nearly a century ago, and has been long been viewed as dilapidated by village officials.
—Daniel I. Dorfman, Chicago Tribune, 5 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
Justin Lynch, CNN, 17 Apr. 2023
The apparent voter approval allows the village to proceed with construction of a new approximate 10,000 square foot clubhouse/pro shop replacing the existing clubhouse that was built nearly a century ago, and has been long been viewed as dilapidated by village officials.
—Daniel I. Dorfman, Chicago Tribune, 5 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
Verb
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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
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Fast-forward to now, and the scene has putrefied into a wasteland of the percussive undead.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
2 July 2025
Verb
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The body was so badly decomposed that the deceased’s gender could not be determined, said police.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
17 Apr. 2026
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D4vd’s parents are coming to his defense after the platinum-selling singer was arrested Thursday on suspicion of murdering Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the 14-year-old girl found dismembered and decomposing in the trunk of his Tesla seven months ago.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The meteor was moving southwest at 30,000 miles per hour and traveled 117 miles through the upper atmosphere before disintegrating 27 miles above the town of Galloway north of Atlantic City, New Jersey, according to NASA.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2026
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Or this object, known by the prosaic designation C/2026 A1 (MAPS), could totally disintegrate, vaporized by the fierce heat of our star.—
Tony Hoffman,
PC Magazine,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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An early discussion about social contracts comes down to us in Plato’s dialogue Crito in which Socrates, condemned to death for allegedly corrupting the youth, refused an offer to escape from prison.—
George G. Szpiro,
Big Think,
9 Apr. 2026
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Meanwhile, the Pima County Sheriff Office investigating Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance is facing troubles of its own, as a former sheriff has accused current leadership of ‘corrupting’ the crime scene, and a deputy has been arrested and fired on a kidnapping charge.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Excavators sifted through sandy soil degraded by more than a century of cranberry production that formed a thick, hard layer over the natural freshwater wetlands the farms were built on.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
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The situation has caused a pile-on of speculation and allegations—including from some of its competitors—that the company is purposely degrading performance owing to a lack of compute capacity.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Quiet Maryam and mercurial Farhan—eight years apart—had often squabbled, gone through periods of not talking, but without her sister as a foil, Maryam was diminished.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
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The result, of course, is that both nations are diminished.—
Tom Zirpoli,
Baltimore Sun,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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However, South Elgin welcomes any group interested in temporarily adopting a park to clean up debris along the river’s edge once the waters recede.—
Mike Danahey,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
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Then there’s the (guests-only) pool, where you’ll be met with bright yellow-and-white beach chairs and umbrellas, and a receding shallow end reminiscent of the nearby shore.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Spirit Airlines had also been downsizing its fleet and pulling routes in an attempt to get back on track.—
Bri Buckley,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
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But for decades to follow, GM struggled with quality issues from downsizing vehicles.—
Jackie Charniga,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dilapidate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dilapidate. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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