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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of decimate
Raging water decimates downtown Chimney Rock, a tourist village, heading to Lake Lure, a resort town.
—
Jennifer Berry Hawes, ProPublica, 19 May 2025
Many of those interviewed said a generation of scientists — and the innovations their research would bring — could be decimated.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 8 May 2025
Crews continued to douse water onto Louisiana's Nottoway Plantation on Friday morning, May 16, after a devastating fire decimated the historic mansion.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 16 May 2025
Uncertainty from President Donald Trump's tariff policies decimated the stock market's performance to start the year.
—Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for decimate
Jennifer Berry Hawes, ProPublica, 19 May 2025
Many of those interviewed said a generation of scientists — and the innovations their research would bring — could be decimated.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 8 May 2025
Crews continued to douse water onto Louisiana's Nottoway Plantation on Friday morning, May 16, after a devastating fire decimated the historic mansion.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 16 May 2025
Uncertainty from President Donald Trump's tariff policies decimated the stock market's performance to start the year.
—Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for decimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decimate
Verb
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Another key feature of algae oil is its high smoke point of 535 degrees—the temperature at which oil begins to break down, release dangerous chemicals, and destroy its nutrients.—
Jonathan Purtell,
Verywell Health,
27 May 2025
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During the week of my embed, the Russian military identified and destroyed a few of the Vampire pilots’ positions.—
Nataliya Gumenyuk,
The Atlantic,
27 May 2025
Verb
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Sand, breeze blocks, storm shutters—these are materials of survival and exclusion, shaped by the hurricanes that regularly devastate her homeland.—
Nargess Banks,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
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The Trump administration granted Syria sweeping exemptions from sanctions Friday in a big first step toward fulfilling the president’s pledge to lift a half-century of penalties on a country devastated by civil war.—
Abby Sewell,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2025
Verb
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There were missions that felt like a rally racing mini-game, asking me to navigate between timer-extending rings dotting barren desert ruins.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
3 June 2025
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The situation took a turn when Amy accidentally ruined her earbuds in the wash.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
3 June 2025
Verb
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In 2012, Texas Wesleyan went to the city’s historic and cultural landmarks commission seeking permission to demolish the home for further campus expansion, but were denied.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 June 2025
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Goldschmidt has demolished the NL Central in his career, with a slash line of .291/.388/.527 in almost 550 games played.—
Andrew Wright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 June 2025
Verb
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Whatever credibility the report might have had as a product of a federal agency was shattered by its obvious errors, misrepresentations and outright fabrications of source materials, some of it plainly the product of the authors’ reliance on AI bots.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2025
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That puts them on pace to win just 25 games in 2025, which would shatter the record set by the White Sox.—
Kendall Capps,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 June 2025
Verb
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During testimony, Lance Jimenez of the Los Angeles Fire Department recalled a 2012 incident in which an explosion wrecked a Porsche owned by Scott Mescudi, professionally known as Kid Cudi.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
28 May 2025
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Walls were wrecked by artillery blasts and gunfire.—
Emmanuel Akinwotu,
NPR,
27 May 2025
Verb
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He’s often found smashing things in the name of justice but can still be angered easily if things don’t go his way.—
Sarah Scott,
Parents,
30 May 2025
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That served as a prelude to Tim Anderson smashing his own two-run shot off Zack Britton in the bottom of the inning to send the White Sox home winners.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Decimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decimate. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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