devastate
Americanverb (used with object)
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devastates,
present (3rd person singular)
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devastated,
past participle, past
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devastating
present participle
-
to lay waste; render desolate.
The invaders devastated the city.
-
to overwhelm, as with grief or dismay: Those rumors appeared to have devastated her.
We are devastated by this news and deeply saddened by the unexpected loss of our friend.
Those rumors appeared to have devastated her.
verb
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to lay waste or make desolate; ravage; destroy
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to confound or overwhelm, as with grief or shock
Synonym Usage
See ravage.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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devastatesimple
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devastatessimple
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have devastatedperfect
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has devastatedperfect
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am devastatingprogressive
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are devastatingprogressive
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is devastatingprogressive
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have been devastatingperfect progressive
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has been devastatingperfect progressive
Past
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devastatedsimple
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had devastatedperfect
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was devastatingprogressive
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were devastatingprogressive
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had been devastatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of devastate
First recorded in 1630–40; from Latin dēvastātus “laid waste” (past participle of dēvastāre ), equivalent to dē- + vast(āre) “to lay waste” (akin to vastus “empty”) + -ātus; see origin at de-, waste ( def. ), -ate 1
Explanation
If a storm devastates your town, it comes pretty close to destroying it. To devastate is to cause destruction to or overwhelm. Really bad news can devastate a person, or leave them devastated. They are so upset, they feel crushed. A basketball team can devastate an opponent by running roughshod over their defense. The root of the word is the Latin vastare which means to lay waste, which comes from vastus meaning desolate or empty. Imagine a city laid waste after a major earthquake and you've got the picture!
Vocabulary lists containing devastate
List 5
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Divergent
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Tears of a Tiger
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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:
"Each day we're seeing fires devastate green spaces and my team is incredibly worried," he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
The group's leader, Fernando Sanchez Castilla, a long-time plant employee who also serves as mayor of a nearby village, warns that shutting the facility would devastate dozens of surrounding communities.
From Barron's ● May 4, 2026
If both spouses eventually need care, the numbers can devastate even substantial nest eggs.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 27, 2026
Two southeast Los Angeles cities proposed a sales tax increase to offset the financial impact of California’s blackjack ban, which officials said would devastate their local economies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026
We did not want to destroy the country before we freed it, and to drive the whites away would devastate the nation.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
This ash devastates farmland across at least eight states.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
It’s a burden that not only devastates families financially but also takes a toll on their health.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 23, 2026
And when Stan and his wife quietly slowdance in their living room, scored to Dinah Washington’s “This Bitter Earth,” their brief respite devastates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2025
“I think it’s that scarring, mental-health-wise. It just really devastates a person in a way they can’t come back from.”
From New York Times ● Jun. 6, 2024
The news could never be ignored: An earthquake devastates Haiti.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
A veteran’s rediscovered photographs bring to life a continent devastated by World War II.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Family spokesperson Herbert Chivayo confirmed the deaths of the businessman and his wife Lucy Muteke to state broadcaster ZBC, saying the family was devastated by the tragedy.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Smart but emotionally inarticulate and a bit obtuse, Lou is devastated by what he’s done.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
James Noel, a Haitian poet and novelist who has known Orelien for 20 years, said he spoke with him at the height of the controversy and found him "devastated".
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
The quake devastated 24,000 square miles of wilderness, much of it glaciated.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
There too, Kagan explained, companies made “misrepresentations” that led to “overuse” of their products, producing devastating consequences that state and local governments were able to recover for under state law.
From Slate ● Oct. 5, 2026
The pre-dawn strike came on the anniversary according to the Jewish calendar of the October 7, 2023 attack, the deadliest-ever day for Israel which retaliated with a devastating offensive in Gaza.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
"It was devastating, not just for myself and our family, but for the entire world," Star said.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
"Although these conditions are triggered by completely different events, they may ultimately disrupt the same fundamental biological systems and produce the similarly devastating exhaustion experienced by millions worldwide."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
For most geologists the idea of a devastating impact was, as Eugene Shoemaker noted, "against their scientific religion."
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
Definitions 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.
