as in to destroy
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
the army's attack decimated the enemy's defenses beyond repair
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of decimate
Vilmanis doing so during the middle of the season when Florida was still in the playoff hunt, Benning to close out the season as essentially the Panthers’ blue line was decimated with injuries down the stretch.
—
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2026
Docile, furry and cute to some, possums have become an unexpected ally in the effort to slow the invasion of Burmese pythons, a snake that has decimated ecosystems in Florida.
—South Florida Sun Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026
Bartolo was born and raised in the Arkansas River Valley, where water rights sell-offs to Front Range cities in the 1970s decimated farm fields and towns.
—Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
The Iranian air defenses have been absolutely decimated.
—ABC News, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for decimate
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2026
Docile, furry and cute to some, possums have become an unexpected ally in the effort to slow the invasion of Burmese pythons, a snake that has decimated ecosystems in Florida.
—South Florida Sun Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026
Bartolo was born and raised in the Arkansas River Valley, where water rights sell-offs to Front Range cities in the 1970s decimated farm fields and towns.
—Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
The Iranian air defenses have been absolutely decimated.
—ABC News, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for decimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decimate
Verb
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Thankfully, the Dark Sky movement is growing as more people become aware of the issue and learn about simple and cost-effective ways that can be embraced to reverse the course of destroying our night skies.—
Ernie Cowan,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
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Radioactive clouds spread, causing panic as far away as Germany and Britain; millions of litres of milk were dumped; livestock was destroyed or banned from sale.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Experts feared that Asian economies — which imported 90% of the oil traversing through the Strait of Hormuz before the war — could be devastated by a prolonged disruption to Gulf crude production.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
30 Apr. 2026
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Other school committee members like Keegan are devastated by the current state of the budget.—
Kristina Rex,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
26 Apr. 2026
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Apparently, staff learned to wash their hands, but the roaches returned to ruin another inspector’s visit.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After six years of plans to redevelop the shuttered MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island, the owners would like to demolish the building and build a data center on the property, according to city officials.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
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In January, Publix closed its 40-year-old Palms store and by mid-April it was demolished to make way for a bigger, contemporary supermarket.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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By 2025, the War on Terror had shattered entire nations and economies, displaced some 40 million citizens and directly and indirectly killed over four million.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Apr. 2026
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But the illusion shatters when a stranger on the street recognizes the dog… as HER boyfriend Danny’s dog.—
William Earl,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That's what usually happens when the leaders wreck at Daytona and 'Dega.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
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Two cars were wrecked and two people suffered injuries in a crash on busy Irving Park Road in the neighborhood of the same name early Monday morning.—
Kris Habermehl,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But as anyone who’s dropped a mug knows, ceramics are also brittle and prone to smashing.—
Caitlin Kennedy,
Scientific American,
25 Apr. 2026
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Police said three men wearing masks and all black clothing entered the open business and allegedly used a hammer to smash out several glass panels.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decimate. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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