decimate
verb
dec·i·mate
ˈde-sə-ˌmāt 
decimated; decimating
1
: to select by lot and kill every tenth man of
decimate a regiment
2
: to exact a tax of 10 percent from
poor as a decimated Cavalier—
John Dryden
John Dryden3
a
: to reduce drastically especially in number
cholera decimated the population
Kamieniecki's return comes at a crucial time for a pitching staff that has been decimated by injuries.—Jason Diamos
Jason Diamos
b
: to cause great destruction or harm to
firebombs decimated the city
an industry decimated by recession
Did you know?
The connection between decimate and the number ten harks back to a brutal practice of the army of ancient Rome. A unit that was guilty of a severe crime (such as mutiny) was punished by selecting and executing one-tenth of its soldiers, thereby scaring the remaining nine-tenths into obedience. The word comes from Latin decem, meaning "ten." Decimate strayed from its "tenth" meaning and nowadays refers to the act of destroying or hurting something in great numbers.
Synonyms
Examples of decimate in a Sentence
This kind of moth is responsible for decimating thousands of trees in our town.
Budget cuts have decimated public services in small towns.
Recent Examples on the Web
Cleveland’s rotation was decimated with injuries throughout the season, yet the organization kept finding ways to piece five starters together all the way up through the American League Championship Series.
—Jason Lloyd, The Athletic, 29 Dec. 2024
Instead, Reagan immediately cut the budget for solar research by eighty-five per cent and did away with the tax credit for solar panels, decimating the infant industry.
—Bill McKibben, The New Yorker, 29 Dec. 2024
But McVay has a young team, a team that at one point was decimated by injuries.
—Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 26 Dec. 2024
The absence of Manuel Akanji, John Stones and Nathan Ake has decimated the defense, while Ballon d’Or winner Rodri’s knee injury has left the team without arguably the best player in the world.
—Matias Grez, CNN, 12 Dec. 2024
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Jason Lloyd, The Athletic, 29 Dec. 2024
Instead, Reagan immediately cut the budget for solar research by eighty-five per cent and did away with the tax credit for solar panels, decimating the infant industry.
—Bill McKibben, The New Yorker, 29 Dec. 2024
But McVay has a young team, a team that at one point was decimated by injuries.
—Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 26 Dec. 2024
The absence of Manuel Akanji, John Stones and Nathan Ake has decimated the defense, while Ballon d’Or winner Rodri’s knee injury has left the team without arguably the best player in the world.
—Matias Grez, CNN, 12 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for decimate
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Cite this Entry
“Decimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decimate. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
decimate
verb
dec·i·mate
ˈdes-ə-ˌmāt
decimated; decimating
1
: to pick by lot and kill every tenth man of
the Roman army would decimate a legion for cowardice
2
: to destroy a large part of
a population decimated by an epidemic
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