decimate

[ des-uh-meyt ]

verb (used with object)

, dec·i·mat·ed, dec·i·mat·ing.

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

/ 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

Derived Forms

• ˌdeciˈmation, noun
• ˈdeciˌmator, noun

Other Words From

• dec·i·ma·tion [des-, uh, -, mey, -sh, uh, n], noun
• dec·i·ma·tor noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of decimate¹

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”; ten, -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of decimate¹

C17: from Latin decimāre, from decimus tenth, from decem ten

Example Sentences

After the closure of stores decimated the in-store sampling that many beauty brands relied on, Marie Claire launched a direct mail sampling operation, expecting to gather tens of thousands of signups within the first year.

From Digiday

The ASF outbreak that decimated China’s pig population in 2019 resulted in national pork output hitting a 16-year low.

From Time

That’s as scared as I’ve ever seen Thanos, and if he hadn’t said decimate my entire team to get her off of me, I think she would have done it.

From Time

Stocks have been on a record-shattering tear after a devastating drop-off during the pandemic’s first wave, even as the coronavirus continues to cause mass deaths, halt travel, decimate businesses and push millions into poverty.

From Washington Post

With the coronavirus pandemic still raging and decimating local businesses, Manna, a drone delivery company, gained approval in late October to launch its service in Oranmore, Ireland.

From Fortune

And now, the plan is not only to decimate public-sector unions, but all unions—to deplete the money they can spend on politics.

From The Daily Beast

And, from the south, chronic wasting disease is poised to decimate the elk herds.

From The Daily Beast

When we decimate the funding for hospital preparedness, we put ourselves in great peril.

From The Daily Beast

Instead we must decimate the mid-level leadership ISIS relies on.

From The Daily Beast

One set of officials advocated for a campaign to decimate ISIS in both countries by striking ISIS targets across Syria.

From The Daily Beast

These are the dreaded wild dogs which decimate the game in the jungle.

From Project Gutenberg

Soon the artillery of both armies opened, and a rain of cannon balls began to decimate the opposing ranks.

From Project Gutenberg

This was an ominous hint that he intended to decimate them, after the fashion of Field-Marshal Liposcak.

From Project Gutenberg

One might easily decimate a whole population, as indeed happened in the South Sea Islands when smallpox was introduced.

From Project Gutenberg

Our men continued to decimate the enemy so thoroughly that they had scarcely five men on deck alive or unwounded.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• annihilate
• exterminate
• obliterate
• slaughter
• wipe out