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dilapidate

[ dih-lap-i-deyt ]
/ dɪˈlæp ɪˌdeɪt /
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See synonyms for: dilapidate / dilapidated / dilapidating / dilapidation on Thesaurus.com

Definition of dilapidate

verb (used with object), di·lap·i·dat·ed, di·lap·i·dat·ing.
to cause or allow (a building, automobile, etc.) to fall into a state of disrepair, as by misuse or neglect (often used passively): The house had been dilapidated by neglect.
Archaic. to squander; waste.
verb (used without object), di·lap·i·dat·ed, di·lap·i·dat·ing.
to fall into ruin or decay.
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Origin of dilapidate

1560–70; <Medieval Latin dīlapidātus, past participle of dīlapidāre to squander (compare dīlapidātiō disrepair), Latin: to pelt with stones; see di-2, lapidate

OTHER WORDS FROM dilapidate

di·lap·i·da·tion, noundi·lap·i·da·tor, noun

Words nearby dilapidate

dil, dilacerate, dilaceration, Dilacor, Dilantin, dilapidate, dilapidated, dilapidation, dilatancy, dilatant, dilatate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to dilapidate

demolish, obliterate, vandalize, annihilate, bulldoze, crush, decimate, devastate, dismantle, flatten, overturn, pulverize, raze, ruin, smash, trash, wreck, deteriorate, disappear, end

How to use dilapidate in a sentence

  • Smilash had immediately promised to dilapidate it to its former state at the end of the year.

    An Unsocial Socialist|George Bernard Shaw

  • Everything about the villain stream has a dilapidate, broken-down air: the very mud of the Spider Water is rusty.

    Held for Orders|Frank H. Spearman

British Dictionary definitions for dilapidate

dilapidate
/ (dɪˈlæpɪˌdeɪt) /
verb
to fall or cause to fall into ruin or decay

Word Origin for dilapidate

C16: from Latin dīlapidāre to scatter, waste, from dis- apart + lapidāre to stone, throw stones, from lapis stone
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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