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
Understanding the behavior and movement patterns for any species is illuminating, but particularly with humpback whales, whose populations have rebounded in recent decades after being decimated by commercial whaling.
—Alexandra E. Petri, New York Times, 13 Dec. 2024
Indeed, in addition to decimating the upper ranks of Hezbollah, Israel had degraded the group’s vast arsenal of Iranian rockets and missiles, and Israel continued to attack Iranian arms shipments to Hezbollah in Syria even after Israel and Lebanon declared a cease-fire on November 27.
—Natasha Hall, Foreign Affairs, 9 Dec. 2024
Despite Hill's standout efforts, the Saints have struggled throughout the season, dropping seven straight after a promising 2-0 start, with injuries continuing to decimate their offensive depth.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024
The Niners built a stars-and-scrubs roster and were decimated by bad injuries to those stars.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 6 Dec. 2024
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Alexandra E. Petri, New York Times, 13 Dec. 2024
Indeed, in addition to decimating the upper ranks of Hezbollah, Israel had degraded the group’s vast arsenal of Iranian rockets and missiles, and Israel continued to attack Iranian arms shipments to Hezbollah in Syria even after Israel and Lebanon declared a cease-fire on November 27.
—Natasha Hall, Foreign Affairs, 9 Dec. 2024
Despite Hill's standout efforts, the Saints have struggled throughout the season, dropping seven straight after a promising 2-0 start, with injuries continuing to decimate their offensive depth.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024
The Niners built a stars-and-scrubs roster and were decimated by bad injuries to those stars.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 6 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 21 Dec. 2024.
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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