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
Despite the rise of work from home culture decimating the need for old-school office wear, there is an appetite for a more playful version of 9-5 style.
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Leah Dolan, CNN, 17 Dec. 2024
Then on October 5, Israeli forces unleashed a volley of aerial and ground attacks on three neighborhoods in northern Gaza, decimating entire street blocks, compounding chronic hunger and leaving emergency crews unable to rescue civilians wounded by the onslaught.
—Abeer Salman, CNN, 4 Dec. 2024
The storm stunned many by decimating communities far inland and long after landfall, hitting places rarely impacted by hurricanes directly.
—Justin McBrien / Made By History, TIME, 9 Oct. 2024
The Yersinia pestis bacteria from fleas carried by rodents wrought havoc across trade routes and port cities of the Old World, decimating human populations with plague.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 6 Oct. 2024
His government seized thousands of farms and turned them over to ZANU–PF loyalists, decimating Zimbabwe’s once vibrant agricultural sector and triggering the kind of economic collapse rarely seen outside of a war zone.
—Tendai Biti, Foreign Affairs, 20 Aug. 2019
Leah Dolan, CNN, 17 Dec. 2024
Then on October 5, Israeli forces unleashed a volley of aerial and ground attacks on three neighborhoods in northern Gaza, decimating entire street blocks, compounding chronic hunger and leaving emergency crews unable to rescue civilians wounded by the onslaught.
—Abeer Salman, CNN, 4 Dec. 2024
The storm stunned many by decimating communities far inland and long after landfall, hitting places rarely impacted by hurricanes directly.
—Justin McBrien / Made By History, TIME, 9 Oct. 2024
The Yersinia pestis bacteria from fleas carried by rodents wrought havoc across trade routes and port cities of the Old World, decimating human populations with plague.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 6 Oct. 2024
His government seized thousands of farms and turned them over to ZANU–PF loyalists, decimating Zimbabwe’s once vibrant agricultural sector and triggering the kind of economic collapse rarely seen outside of a war zone.
—Tendai Biti, Foreign Affairs, 20 Aug. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decimating
Verb
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The most pressing problem concerns European Union rules on carbon dioxide emissions, with bottom-line-destroying fines for the bigger failures.Neil Winton, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2025
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As a series of explosions could be heard destroying the structure's support pillars, causing the old hotel to fall inward, the crowd of onlookers are heard in the video erupting in cheers.Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Which program will pay the most for the valuable service of demolishing them?Sam Blum, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
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General Motors is preparing to move out, and an ambitious redevelopment vision that would involve demolishing two RenCen towers is said to hinge on a commitment of public financing support — one that hasn't been forthcoming so far.JC Reindl, Detroit Free Press, 3 Jan. 2025
Verb
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This prequel flashes back to a previous Christmas in Los Angeles, when their unintentional destruction of a Santa Claus parade balloon put the city on edge, wrecking the gang's plans for a massive Yuletide bank robbery.EW.com, EW.com, 20 Dec. 2024
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The vocalist’s sole concerns related to the natural environment, the animal kingdom and humankind’s responsibility for wrecking our only home.Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 12 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Decimating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decimating. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.
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