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
Apart from decimating hundreds of species, the construction of an airport, a power plant, a ship repair yard, and a township will also cut off the tiny Shompen tribe from much of their habitat.
—
M. Rajshekhar, Time, 11 Sep. 2025
That has monumentally changed college sports, of course, funneling schools into the Big Ten and SEC while decimating conferences like our old Pac-12 – but not the appeal of Pac-12 After Dark.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 11 Sep. 2025
By the mid-1800s, a different kind of hunter had arrived, scouring the region for ivory, hides, and rhino horn - decimating populations.
—Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
There, he was briefed on the massive wildfires that are decimating the northwest region of the country.
—Meredith Kile, People.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Environmental groups, others long oppose SpaceX rocket launches That aggressive approach, though, has rankled environmentalists and others who have criticized SpaceX's operations for potentially decimating regional ecosystems.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 14 Aug. 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
M. Rajshekhar, Time, 11 Sep. 2025
That has monumentally changed college sports, of course, funneling schools into the Big Ten and SEC while decimating conferences like our old Pac-12 – but not the appeal of Pac-12 After Dark.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 11 Sep. 2025
By the mid-1800s, a different kind of hunter had arrived, scouring the region for ivory, hides, and rhino horn - decimating populations.
—Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
There, he was briefed on the massive wildfires that are decimating the northwest region of the country.
—Meredith Kile, People.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Environmental groups, others long oppose SpaceX rocket launches That aggressive approach, though, has rankled environmentalists and others who have criticized SpaceX's operations for potentially decimating regional ecosystems.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 14 Aug. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decimating
Verb
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The military has also been targeting and destroying high-rise buildings surrounding displacement camps, crowding Gaza City’s residents into ever-smaller spaces.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
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Ultimately, North was found guilty of destroying official documents, accepting a home security system as a gift and obstructing Congress in 1989.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Car designers love them for not ruining the lines of the door with the necessities of real life, but is the benefit from drag reduction worth the safety risk?—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
10 Sep. 2025
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And broadcasting your irritation too loudly risks ruining the atmosphere for everyone else just as much as their yelling or off-key chants.—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott,
Southern Living,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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An image taken on August 19 shows Israeli excavators and bulldozers demolishing buildings in Zeitoun.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
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About 90% of the former Spring Hill Mall is gone and work demolishing the final anchor store set to begin in the next couple of weeks, officials said.—
Gloria Casas,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The group also recently stepped out together at a University of Cincinnati football game, which just so happened to be Swift and Kelce’s first public outing since announcing their plans to get married with an internet-shattering post on Instagram in August.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
16 Sep. 2025
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Pamela Warner, mother and manager of the late actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, reflected on the life-shattering moment her son had untimely passed away.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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More than just devastating the lives of these commuters — most of whom earn under $49,000 per year and work blue-collar jobs — each of these cars on the freeway is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions.—
Stan Oklobdzija,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 2025
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After a series of devastating airstrikes, the Israeli military is sending its ground forces into Gaza City, causing thousands of Palestinians to flee and escalating a humanitarian crisis in the region.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Adam Berry/Getty Images What To Know Phoenix police said in a release to media that a 19-year-old was detained after wrecking a memorial for Kirk at the office of Turning Point USA, the conservative campus group that Kirk co-founded.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
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Despite the mixed reception, the money counter was an earnest attempt to keep the show running on schedule, preventing one or two self-indulgent speakers from wrecking the running time.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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From the Luddites smashing looms in 19th-century England to autoworkers walking out over the introduction of robots to the factory floor in the 1980s, resistance has flared before either being crushed or subsiding, giving way to the new economies and social orders the technologies ushered in.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
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The 40th anniversary of John Farnham’s record-smashing 1986 album Whispering Jack will be celebrated with a new musical.—
Lars Brandle,
Billboard,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Decimating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decimating. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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