decimate

American  

[des-uh-meyt] / ˈdɛs əˌmeɪt /

verb (used with object)

decimated, decimating

1. to kill or destroy a great number or proportion of.

   The population was decimated by a plague.

2. to greatly reduce in number or amount.

   From 1975-1981, our country was not driving the space exploration agenda, and our aerospace workforce was decimated.

3. to cause to suffer great loss or harm.

   The constant eruptions that spewed forth decimated the forest and turned it to ash.

4. to select by lot and kill every tenth person of.

5. Obsolete. to take a tenth of or from.

---

decimate British  

/ ˈdɛsɪˌmeɪt /

verb

1. to destroy or kill a large proportion of

   a plague decimated the population

2. (esp in the ancient Roman army) to kill every tenth man of (a mutinous section)

---

Usage

One talks about the whole of something being decimated, not a part: disease decimated the population, not disease decimated most of the population

Other Word Forms

• decimation noun
• decimator noun

Etymology

Origin of decimate

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin decimātus, past participle of decimāre “to punish every tenth man chosen by lot,” verbal derivative of decimus “tenth,” derivative of decem “ten”; see ten, -ate ¹

Explanation

If something is drastically reduced or killed, especially in number, you can say it was decimated. "The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico decimated the wildlife along the coast." The verb decimate originally referred to a form of capital punishment for Roman troops. If there was a rebellion, one out of every ten men (thus the dec in decimate) was put to death. So the word's first expanded usage was to mean a ten percent reduction or a ten percent tax. Modern usage gives the word decimate its "drastically reduced" meaning, but the verb can also be used to mean "to wipe out" or "to eliminate."

Example Sentences

Software stocks dropped on Friday after digital-payments company Block announced it is slashing more than 4,000 employees — further fueling fears that artificial intelligence could decimate employee head counts and hurt demand for software.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026

The departures could decimate an office already struggling to deal with the surge in immigration enforcement, said B. Todd Jones, a former U.S. attorney for Minnesota.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 13, 2026

At worst, biomass projects can decimate forests and release their stored carbon into the atmosphere.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 30, 2025

Generalist creatures, those that can thrive in a variety of environments, will most easily adapt to city life and may go on to decimate native species.

From Salon • Jun. 15, 2025

She didn’t need to decimate them, all she needed to do was disarm them and keep them off balance.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

Related Words

• annihilate
• exterminate
• obliterate
• slaughter
• wipe out