decimate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
decimates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
decimated,
past participle, past
-
decimating
present participle
-
to kill or destroy a great number or proportion of.
The population was decimated by a plague.
-
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.
-
to cause to suffer great loss or harm.
The constant eruptions that spewed forth decimated the forest and turned it to ash.
-
to select by lot and kill every tenth person of.
-
Obsolete. to take a tenth of or from.
verb
-
to destroy or kill a large proportion of
a plague decimated the population
-
(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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
decimatesimple
-
decimatessimple
-
have decimatedperfect
-
has decimatedperfect
-
am decimatingprogressive
-
are decimatingprogressive
-
is decimatingprogressive
-
have been decimatingperfect progressive
-
has been decimatingperfect progressive
Past
-
decimatedsimple
-
had decimatedperfect
-
was decimatingprogressive
-
were decimatingprogressive
-
had been decimatingperfect progressive
Future
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."
Vocabulary lists containing decimate
Super Bowl Blowout: Epic Vocab for the Big Game
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Perfect Ten: Dec, Cent, Mille
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
This Week in Words: September 25 - October 1, 2017
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Opponents say the sharp reduction or elimination of property taxes would decimate funding for key areas, including education, public safety and infrastructure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
He also called concerns that AI will decimate jobs worldwide "complete nonsense".
From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026
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
Critics of the plans say the changes will decimate the Samaritans' work in local communities and have accused the charity's leadership of repeatedly ignoring requests to provide the rationale for the plans.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 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
Snaring decimates wildlife populations and has pushed many larger mammals to local or even global extinction.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 3, 2024
A farm group has called on the Federal Trade Commission to launch a price-gouging probe into the country’s top egg producer as avian flu decimates the number of hens nationwide.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 24, 2023
The ebullient history — which also cites on-site food tents as a mind-blowing component of the fest’s appeal — becomes tearful when Hurricane Katrina decimates New Orleans in 2005.
From New York Times ● May 12, 2022
Jenkins’ injury further decimates a line that already is missing 2020 All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari as well as center Josh Myers because of knee injuries.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 22, 2021
It takes them wherever it can find them, from the faction which decimated it before Thermidor and which, since Thermidor, it decimates.
From The French Revolution - Volume 3 by John Durand
The rise of Japanese low-cost SLR cameras decimated the German industry in the 1960s and 1970s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
Almost 250 people died, while vineyards, orange groves and plots used to grow Albufera rice, an essential paella ingredient, were decimated.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
While Premier League teams see their squads decimated by international call-ups, it is not quite as dramatic in the Championship.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
Last year, the company decimated the staff of the Merced Sun-Star, leaving it with one journalist funded through a university grant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
And definitely don’t attach a figure to the damage: The earthquake decimated seventy-five percent of Morticia’s antiques.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
As human beings began to organize themselves into sedentary, agrarian societies, they formed mutualistic relationships with the wildcats that prevented vermin from decimating their grain stores.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Dissent got louder after the twin quakes that struck northern Venezuela on June 24, killing over 6,000 people and decimating hundreds of buildings.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
The rapper’s overhaul of the dwelling saw it reduced to little more than a concrete shell, decimating almost all of Ando’s original design—and leaving design lovers up in arms over its destruction.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 11, 2025
Hurricane Melissa has continued its devastating sweep across the Caribbean, decimating homes and infrastructure, flooding neighbourhoods and leaving dozens dead.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2025
Smallpox, measles, influenza, typhus, bubonic plague, and other infectious diseases endemic in Europe played a decisive role in European conquests, by decimating many peoples on other continents.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
