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
The county Board of Supervisors, which met Tuesday for the first time since fires decimated large swaths of the county, gave the chief executive office a week to sketch out the details.
—Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2025
Egg prices continued to skyrocket in December due to an avian flu that has decimated supply in recent months.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 15 Jan. 2025
The Critics Choice Awards was among the first major Hollywood events to be postponed just hours into the firestorm that decimated the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods of Los Angeles.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 15 Jan. 2025
But a range of construction choices and preparation measures were key in shielding the property from the blaze that decimated thousands of neighboring structures.
—Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 15 Jan. 2025
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Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2025
Egg prices continued to skyrocket in December due to an avian flu that has decimated supply in recent months.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 15 Jan. 2025
The Critics Choice Awards was among the first major Hollywood events to be postponed just hours into the firestorm that decimated the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods of Los Angeles.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 15 Jan. 2025
But a range of construction choices and preparation measures were key in shielding the property from the blaze that decimated thousands of neighboring structures.
—Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 15 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for decimate
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Dictionary Entries Near decimate
Cite this Entry
“Decimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decimate. Accessed 20 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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