Advertisement
Advertisement
decimate
[des-uh-meyt]
verb (used with object)
to kill or destroy a great number or proportion of.
The population was decimated by a plague.
to greatly reduce in number or amount.
From 1975-1981, our country was not driving the space exploration agenda, and our aerospace workforce was decimated.
to cause to suffer great loss or harm.
The constant eruptions that spewed forth decimated the forest and turned it to ash.
to select by lot and kill every tenth person of.
Obsolete.to take a tenth of or from.
decimate
/ ˈɛɪˌɪ /
verb
to destroy or kill a large proportion of
a plague decimated the population
(esp in the ancient Roman army) to kill every tenth man of (a mutinous section)
Usage
Other Word Forms
- decimation noun
- decimator noun
- ˌˈپDz noun
- ˈˌٴǰ noun
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of decimate1
Example Sentences
But Dutch elm disease, an invasive fungus spread by bark beetles to which the native trees had no defense, has decimated the elm by tens of millions across the continent.
Fugate’s appointment is the latest shock for an office that has been decimated since President Donald Trump returned to the White House and began remaking national security to give it a laser focus on immigration.
Their share prices are particularly badly affected because the president has both decimated their supply chain strategies, and also risks greatly impairing their brand image amongst global consumers.
But seeing the reality of it — especially up close here in Washington, DC, where so many patriotic public servants’ lives have been decimated by Trump’s attacks on our government institutions — has been very upsetting.
Some fishermen in south-west England say an "invasion" of octopus and a local bylaw are "decimating" the Devon shellfish industry.
Advertisement
Related Words
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse