devastate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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
-
to lay waste or make desolate; ravage; destroy
-
to confound or overwhelm, as with grief or shock
Related Words
See ravage.
Other Word Forms
- devastation noun
- devastative adjective
- devastator noun
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; de-, waste ( def. ), -ate 1
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.
Surging memory prices are expected to devastate the electronics market, forcing rival phone makers to raise prices and affecting Android devices.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026
Investors worried that a plug-in for Anthropic’s Claude model would devastate their businesses.
From Barron's • Feb. 6, 2026
Tens of thousands of people in Mozambique are being rescued as rising waters continue to devastate the southern African nation - the worst flooding in a generation.
From BBC • Jan. 25, 2026
At such low numbers, hungry lions can devastate herds.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025
Most commentators assumed that getting bronze on beam would devastate me, but in fact, I was over the moon.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
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.
