as in destroys
to bring destruction to (something) through violent action
the hurricane ravaged the state and caused billions of dollars worth of damage
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Recent Examples of ravages
Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 20 May 2026
Greenhouses provide protection from scourges like tomato blight, which ravages otherwise beautiful crops in areas with cool, rainy weather.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2026
Over time, toxins accumulate, and the genetic disorder ravages children’s organs, including their heart — and in many cases, their brain, leading to dementia-like symptoms.
—Elizabeth Chuck, NBC news, 1 Apr. 2026
As of early Monday morning, nearly 150 flights at MIA had been impacted, and that's expected to increase as the winter storm ravages the Northeast and mid-Atlantic.
—February 23, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026
The tall green trees pop against the clear blue sky, until a wildfire ravages the forest and changes Grainger’s life.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026
Published in 1842, Poe’s story follows Prince Prospero, who retreats with a group of nobles into a fortified abbey as a deadly plague ravages the countryside.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2026
This horror ravages Africa far beyond Nigeria.
—Nuri Kino, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
As extreme heat ravages New York City this summer, the lives of thousands detained on Rikers Island hang in the balance.
—Darren MacK, New York Daily News, 4 Aug. 2025
Verb
Wildfire ravages Simi Valley as evacuations are underway.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 20 May 2026
Greenhouses provide protection from scourges like tomato blight, which ravages otherwise beautiful crops in areas with cool, rainy weather.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2026
Over time, toxins accumulate, and the genetic disorder ravages children’s organs, including their heart — and in many cases, their brain, leading to dementia-like symptoms.
—Elizabeth Chuck, NBC news, 1 Apr. 2026
As of early Monday morning, nearly 150 flights at MIA had been impacted, and that's expected to increase as the winter storm ravages the Northeast and mid-Atlantic.
—February 23, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026
The tall green trees pop against the clear blue sky, until a wildfire ravages the forest and changes Grainger’s life.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026
Published in 1842, Poe’s story follows Prince Prospero, who retreats with a group of nobles into a fortified abbey as a deadly plague ravages the countryside.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2026
This horror ravages Africa far beyond Nigeria.
—Nuri Kino, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
As extreme heat ravages New York City this summer, the lives of thousands detained on Rikers Island hang in the balance.
—Darren MacK, New York Daily News, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ravages
Verb
-
Then comes the eruption of a giant, bright fireball that destroys the rocket and its launchpad.—
Lee Billings,
Scientific American,
29 May 2026
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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that destroys nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that a person needs to walk, talk, swallow and breathe, according to the ALS Assn.—
Assistant Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
27 May 2026
Noun
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Programming includes theatrical performances, poetry readings and concerts staged inside and around ancient ruins — a setting that is impossible to replicate at any other time of year, since most of these sites are not open after dark on ordinary days.—
Hanna Wickes,
Sacbee.com,
2 June 2026
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Ancient Lycian ruins often appear directly above the waterline, while small fishing villages remain largely unchanged by mass tourism.—
Katia Damborsky,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
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After an epidemic devastates humanity, one group, the Traveling Symphony, connects disparate survivors by performing Shakespeare.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
20 May 2026
-
The fire devastates the area, burning down the couple's entire property.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
16 May 2026
Noun
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These attempts to keep down the unquiet dead were, besides being desecrations, exercises in a lot of heavy and often forbidden labor done on decaying bodies.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
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The idea that Watkins was an enabler of Gein’s murders and subsequent desecrations could be read merely as a part of the show’s aggressive and admitted mingling of fiction and reality.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ravages.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ravages. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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