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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Recent Examples of decimate
Israel, meanwhile, has emerged from the war in a much stronger security position after decimating Hamas in Gaza, slamming Hezbollah in Lebanon, and hammering Iran's nuclear facilities.
—
Greg Myre, NPR, 9 Oct. 2025
Exotic pests from Asia, notably the chestnut blight, decimated it about 100 years ago.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 9 Oct. 2025
Los Angeles — Nine months after a raging inferno decimated the Los Angeles area, claiming the lives of a dozen people and burning down thousands of homes and businesses, officials have arrested a suspect in Florida on suspicion of arson.
—Josh Campbell, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
According to another Ilam official, six members of one family died after their residence was decimated by a landslide, the Times of India reported.
—Jillian Frankel, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decimate
Greg Myre, NPR, 9 Oct. 2025
Exotic pests from Asia, notably the chestnut blight, decimated it about 100 years ago.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 9 Oct. 2025
Los Angeles — Nine months after a raging inferno decimated the Los Angeles area, claiming the lives of a dozen people and burning down thousands of homes and businesses, officials have arrested a suspect in Florida on suspicion of arson.
—Josh Campbell, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
According to another Ilam official, six members of one family died after their residence was decimated by a landslide, the Times of India reported.
—Jillian Frankel, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decimate
Verb
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The fear of further Israeli strikes, particularly on Iran, remains acute in the public’s mind as much of Iranian air defenses likely were destroyed by Israel in June.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
12 Oct. 2025
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The Wild were absolutely destroyed in the faceoff circle, losing 44 of 71 (38 percent success rate).—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Though the large recall sent shockwaves through the EV space, many fans of the nameplate were left devastated because of its initial positive reception.—
Charles Singh,
Nashville Tennessean,
15 Oct. 2025
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Suspect arrest in deadly Palisades Fire The man accused of starting a fire that eventually became the deadly blaze that devastated the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles earlier this year has been indicted by a federal grand jury, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.—
Alex Stone,
ABC News,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Back in January, Preston remembered filming My Best Friend’s Wedding — and how an iconic scene ruined crab and lobster for her.—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
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Packages of flying tortillas thrown at the wrong time, or pocket knives, would only hurt a reputation that Texas Tech has worked doggedly to change and show that the Red Raiders are at home on a national stage, and not the crazy drunk uncle ruining a holiday.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Neighbors for a Better San Diego, a group that represents mostly single-family homeowners and opposes nearby higher-density development, criticized the report for not tracking how many homes get demolished to make way for new projects.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Oct. 2025
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The Premier League club had previously intended to demolish the Peter Taylor Stand — the oldest, and smallest, of the City Ground’s four — and replace it with an entirely new structure, increasing capacity from just over 30,000 to around 35,000.—
Daniel Taylor,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Andy Pages, amid a miserable month, shattered his bat while hitting a ground ball back to the pitcher.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
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Nowhere is this more urgent than in Gaza and Israel, where two years of devastation have left families shattered and entire communities on the brink, on both sides of the divide.—
Muhammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa,
Time,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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One raid saw masked federal agents repelling from Black Hawk helicopters and wrecking an apartment building.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
9 Oct. 2025
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The wrecking-ball style is the way King played even at Longview (Texas) High, where his father was the coach, and didn’t coddle or protect his son, as Dickey remembers.—
Seth Emerson,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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That property happened to be a $60,000 Boston police cruiser equipped with computers and other technology that was smashed and torched.—
Peter Lucas,
Boston Herald,
13 Oct. 2025
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The Vultee aircraft completed a flight from Los Angeles to New York in 11 hours and 34 minutes and 16 seconds, smashing the existing record of 12 hours for that distance.—
Stuart Dyos,
Nashville Tennessean,
12 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Decimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decimate. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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