as in destroying
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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Recent Examples of decimating
The evidence of this century does not bode well for an approach that throws ever more money at the Pentagon while decimating non-military tools of statecraft, as has happened with the virtual elimination of the Agency for International Development (AID).
—
William Hartung, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
An exotic pet escapes and multiplies, decimating native species.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 7 Apr. 2025
Combating bird flu Stories about bird flu decimating poultry farms and causing jumps in egg prices have been all across the news in recent months.
—Richard Requena, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2025
But decimating the entire health bureaucracy in this country is not proving his point.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2025
Vought has returned to his post as the budget office’s director, and his plans for eviscerating entire agencies and decimating the morale of federal workers have turned into reality.
—Stephen Engelberg, ProPublica, 20 Mar. 2025
Then in March 2020, as COVID was decimating the country’s medical infrastructure and shuttering Hollywood, Wyle started receiving dozens of Instagram DMs from first responders who knew him from ER.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2025
For about four hours, the storm raced along a track of more than 200 miles, decimating parts of Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2025
Despite the rise of work from home culture decimating the need for old-school office wear, there is an appetite for a more playful version of 9-5 style.
—Leah Dolan, CNN, 17 Dec. 2024
William Hartung, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
An exotic pet escapes and multiplies, decimating native species.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 7 Apr. 2025
Combating bird flu Stories about bird flu decimating poultry farms and causing jumps in egg prices have been all across the news in recent months.
—Richard Requena, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2025
But decimating the entire health bureaucracy in this country is not proving his point.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2025
Vought has returned to his post as the budget office’s director, and his plans for eviscerating entire agencies and decimating the morale of federal workers have turned into reality.
—Stephen Engelberg, ProPublica, 20 Mar. 2025
Then in March 2020, as COVID was decimating the country’s medical infrastructure and shuttering Hollywood, Wyle started receiving dozens of Instagram DMs from first responders who knew him from ER.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2025
For about four hours, the storm raced along a track of more than 200 miles, decimating parts of Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2025
Despite the rise of work from home culture decimating the need for old-school office wear, there is an appetite for a more playful version of 9-5 style.
—Leah Dolan, CNN, 17 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decimating
Verb
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Online records show that Lamb was charged with homicide, kidnap-false imprisonment, evidence-destroying and procure for prostitute.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
10 Apr. 2025
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But if enacted, some of the ideas proposed also risk destroying a nascent private sector and worsening the country’s ongoing humanitarian crisis.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Since March 14, severe weather has left a trail of destruction, toppling trees, demolishing homes, and igniting wildfires, the Associated Press reported.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
21 Mar. 2025
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By 2006, Alcatel-Lucent, the building’s owner at the time, was considering demolishing the property.—
Celia Fernandez,Raffi Paul,
CNBC,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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This prequel flashes back to a previous Christmas in Los Angeles, when their unintentional destruction of a Santa Claus parade balloon put the city on edge, wrecking the gang's plans for a massive Yuletide bank robbery.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
20 Dec. 2024
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The vocalist’s sole concerns related to the natural environment, the animal kingdom and humankind’s responsibility for wrecking our only home.—
Bob Gendron,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Decimating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decimating. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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