as in destroying
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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as in ravage
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Recent Examples of ravaging
Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Vanessa Diaz, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025
Three weeks later, the 41-year-old was forced to evacuate her home with her newborn due to the devastating fires ravaging Los Angeles.
—Meredith Wilshere, People.com, 14 Sep. 2025
But on an evening back in July, inordinate rainfall led to unrelenting floodwaters ravaging the lower level of Pledger’s home.
—Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2025
Spain is deploying 500 more soldiers to fight wildfires ravaging the country, as southern Europe faces a wave of extreme climate events fueled by heatwaves.
—Tasneem Nashrulla, semafor.com, 17 Aug. 2025
France commenced the latest calls to recognize a Palestinian state when President Emmanuel Macron announced his decision last month, citing the starvation ravaging Gaza’s population.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 11 Aug. 2025
Hero Ellen Ripley’s (Sigourney Weaver) lonely fight for survival gave way to a military mission to vanquish aliens ravaging a human colony; Cameron filled the frame with cocky Marines, boxy space tanks, and an adorable orphan who finds in Ripley a surrogate mother.
—Judy Berman, Time, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
The question of whether or not Uniqlo is fast fashion or sustainable fashion or ethical fashion has perhaps become irrelevant in a world in which fashion—no modifier needed—is increasingly culpable for the ravaging of the planet.
—Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
Giving Bad Bunny the space to spotlight his culture and politics is a bold move for Apple Music, Roc Nation, and the NFL, in light of the anti-Latino sentiment ravaging the country.
—Vanessa Diaz, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025
Three weeks later, the 41-year-old was forced to evacuate her home with her newborn due to the devastating fires ravaging Los Angeles.
—Meredith Wilshere, People.com, 14 Sep. 2025
But on an evening back in July, inordinate rainfall led to unrelenting floodwaters ravaging the lower level of Pledger’s home.
—Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2025
Spain is deploying 500 more soldiers to fight wildfires ravaging the country, as southern Europe faces a wave of extreme climate events fueled by heatwaves.
—Tasneem Nashrulla, semafor.com, 17 Aug. 2025
France commenced the latest calls to recognize a Palestinian state when President Emmanuel Macron announced his decision last month, citing the starvation ravaging Gaza’s population.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 11 Aug. 2025
Hero Ellen Ripley’s (Sigourney Weaver) lonely fight for survival gave way to a military mission to vanquish aliens ravaging a human colony; Cameron filled the frame with cocky Marines, boxy space tanks, and an adorable orphan who finds in Ripley a surrogate mother.
—Judy Berman, Time, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ravaging
Verb
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Since then, the Internet has gone about its immemorial business of destroying all incumbent forms of media; not content with vampirizing print, the digital space began sucking the life from pay-TV a dozen years ago.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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Critics say returning the company without meaningful payment undercuts accountability and the compensatory purpose of the judgments; others note trustees and Judge Lopez have to avoid value-destroying, prolonged processes.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Not even a month had passed since his big sister, Toraya, was shot and killed at an apartment complex in New Jersey, devastating the Reid family and shaking the Timberwolves organization to its core.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
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Oil was discovered there in the 1920s, and the county went through booms and busts for decades, enriching wildcatters and devastating the landscape, until a lasting bust left Loving County a virtual wasteland with no running water, paved roads, schools, hospitals, or grocery stores.—
Mitch Moxley,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The addresses listed in the wrecking permits border the east of the truck plant where Ford makes its iconic Super Duty trucks, Expedition SUVs and luxury Lincoln Navigators.—
Olivia Evans,
Louisville Courier Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
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After Fred VanVleet tore his ACL less than two weeks before the start of training camp, Houston started preparing for the possibility that Amen Thompson — a 6-foot-7 defensive wrecking ball — could slide into the starting point guard role.—
William Guillory,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Wildcats hold a 10-8 edge over the Horned Frogs in their all-time series, including a 41-3 destruction of TCU in 2023 at Manhattan in the teams’ last meeting.—
Jim Barnes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Sep. 2025
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Cyrus — who married Hemsworth, 35, the following month after the destruction, before later separating in August 2019 — was left to grieve the many memories that were lost.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In the filing, Omni Hotels outlined a five-year timeframe that would get the site fully designed, permitted and prepared for construction, noting construction would not start until at least five years after the demolishing of the buildings on site.—
Matthew Glowicki,
The Courier-Journal,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
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In October 2023 alone,1,330 instances of antisemitism were reported by the CST, which includes assault, damage or desecration, threats and abusive behavior against Jews.—
Caitlin McFall,
FOXNews.com,
2 Oct. 2025
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Years before, many conservatives—including myself—spoke out against grievance studies, the 1619 Project, the desecration of the curriculum.—
Ayaan Hirsi Ali,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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To call it a Life Ruiner is not to say that a life of letters is necessarily ruination—but rather, to identify it as the book . . .—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
13 Aug. 2025
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Fetterman and McCormick set for high-stakes Pennsylvania forum MAJOR HEADLINES ‘DAMAGING DECISION’ – Trump says tariff ruling could lead to 'economic ruination' of US.—
,
FOXNews.com,
2 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ravaging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ravaging. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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