decimate
verb
John DrydenJason Diamos
Did you know?
Decimate is a word that often raises hackles, at least those belonging to a small but committed group of logophiles who feel that it is commonly misused. The issue that they have with the decline and fall of the word decimate is that once upon a time in ancient Rome it had a very singular meaning: “to select by lot and kill every tenth man of a military unit.” However, many words in English descended from Latin have changed and/or expanded their meanings in their travels. For example, we no longer think of sinister as meaning “on the left side,” and delicious can describe things both tasty and delightful. Was the “to kill every tenth man” meaning the original use of decimate in English? Yes, but not by much. It took only a few decades for decimate to acquire its broader, familiar meaning of “to severely damage or destroy,” which has been employed steadily since the 17th century.
Examples of decimate in a Sentence
Christopher Bodeen, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2025
Israel, in its fury, decimated Hamas and wiped out its leadership—including Sinwar—and also killed tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 21 June 2025
It's been 28 years since the rage virus — a virulent, bloodborne infection that sends its hosts into extreme, uncontrollable rage and states of undead decay — escaped a lab and decimated nearly all of the United Kingdom, now under rigid quarantine.
—EW.com, 20 June 2025
Israel has been very successfully decimating Iran’s military industrial complex, not only hitting the country’s nuclear program, but also its air bases, ballistic missiles and fuel depots.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for decimate
Cite this Entry
“Decimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decimate. Accessed 26 Jun. 2025.
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decimate
verb
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