as in extermination
formal
a usually violent act in which something is damaged or destroyed or in which a person or animal is killed
The town had somehow escaped the depredations of enemy soldiers.
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Recent Examples of depredation
Federal prosecutors charged Castillo with depredation of government property.
—
Brandon Downs, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
Colorado’s wolf depredation compensation program is the broadest in the country, Sedgeley said.
—Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2026
That means hunting, fishing, ranching, and basic depredation practices for wildlife management would all be banned — among countless other common practices like pest control.
—Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 8 Apr. 2026
In those cases, the GFP says mountain lions were lethally removed due to livestock depredation, attacks on pets, or concerns and threats to public safety.
—Angela George, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 20 Mar. 2026
In October 2024, 20 mountain lions were killed through depredation permits statewide, the DFW reported.
—Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 28 Jan. 2026
Wolf depredation in Cochise County last summer resulted in the relocation of a pack from southern Arizona to captivity in New Mexico.
—Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Keith Michael Lisa, 51, of Barnegat, was charged with possession of a dangerous weapon in a federal facility and depredation of federal property, Habba announced Tuesday.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 19 Nov. 2025
Brandon Downs, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
Colorado’s wolf depredation compensation program is the broadest in the country, Sedgeley said.
—Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2026
That means hunting, fishing, ranching, and basic depredation practices for wildlife management would all be banned — among countless other common practices like pest control.
—Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 8 Apr. 2026
In those cases, the GFP says mountain lions were lethally removed due to livestock depredation, attacks on pets, or concerns and threats to public safety.
—Angela George, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 20 Mar. 2026
In October 2024, 20 mountain lions were killed through depredation permits statewide, the DFW reported.
—Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 28 Jan. 2026
Wolf depredation in Cochise County last summer resulted in the relocation of a pack from southern Arizona to captivity in New Mexico.
—Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Keith Michael Lisa, 51, of Barnegat, was charged with possession of a dangerous weapon in a federal facility and depredation of federal property, Habba announced Tuesday.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 19 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for depredation
Noun
-
When the ants come marching in, many of us frantically raid our cabinets and garage shelves for any means of immediate extermination.—
Kate Van Pelt,
The Spruce,
25 Apr. 2026
-
When members of the crew begin to die, the line between spectacle and extermination starts to blur.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
One chapter closes, another opens The destruction of several Russian Kamov Ka-52s using drones doesn’t signal the end of the attack helicopter by any means.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The pace of destruction was terrifying.—
Stefano Pozzebon,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Bald eagles have made a strong recovery in Michigan, growing from the edge of extinction with just 52 breeding pairs in the 1960s to about 900 pairs by 2023, Bridge Michigan reported.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
By the early 1940s, it was gone, widely recognized as the first butterfly in North America driven to extinction by human activity.—
Itay Hod,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But Serkis prefers his Trojan horse without the slaughter.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Peace journalism is a form of news reporting by which reporters frame their stories in ways that facilitate nonviolent responses to conflict, for example, by avoiding inflammatory words such as massacre, slaughter, or brutal.—
Karen McIntyre,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Infowars is facing liquidation because of the more than $1 billion in defamation lawsuit judgments Jones owes relatives of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting for calling the massacre a hoax.—
Jim Vertuno,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
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Valente began plotting the Brown University massacre as early as 2022, renting a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire, to stash his weapons.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Despite the devastation, the family has received an outpouring of support from the community, something Jackeline Madrid said reflects who her father was.—
Amelia Mugavero,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
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In the two years following Hurricane Maria's devastation in Puerto Rico in 2017, overdose reports increased, another study found.—
Andrew Jones,
NPR,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Depredation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/depredation. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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