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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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

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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