as in to destroy
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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Examples of decimate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Rams Hernández: Rams’ failure to protect Matthew Stafford threatens to derail more than their season
Sept. 16, 2024
In 2022, the Rams were decimated by injuries and finished 5-12, the worst Super Bowl hangover in history, but this series of injuries is different, McVay said.
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Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2024
In the past eleven months, Gazan society has been decimated—the physical infrastructure has been decimated.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2024
With the most vulnerable and underprivileged neighborhoods in the city decimated, and Oz’s boss Carmine Falcone dead, Oz decides this is the perfect time to strike.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 12 Sep. 2024
Seventy percent of homes and infrastructure are destroyed; hospitals and medical personnel are decimated; no sanitation; disease is spreading; polio, once eliminated, is endangering children; people are starving and widespread famine is threatening; mental trauma is extreme.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for decimate 
Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2024
In the past eleven months, Gazan society has been decimated—the physical infrastructure has been decimated.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2024
With the most vulnerable and underprivileged neighborhoods in the city decimated, and Oz’s boss Carmine Falcone dead, Oz decides this is the perfect time to strike.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 12 Sep. 2024
Seventy percent of homes and infrastructure are destroyed; hospitals and medical personnel are decimated; no sanitation; disease is spreading; polio, once eliminated, is endangering children; people are starving and widespread famine is threatening; mental trauma is extreme.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for decimate
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'decimate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Decimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decimate. Accessed 28 Sep. 2024.
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