dilapidate
[ dih-lap-i-deyt ]
/ dɪˈlæp ɪˌdeɪt /
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.
RELATED WORDS
mar, impoverish, wreck, overwhelm, injure, shatter, exhaust, demolish, crush, decimate, wrack, deplete, spoil, raze, bankrupt, impair, ravage, cripple, trash, sabotage
Nearby words
- dil,
- dil.,
- dilacerate,
- dilaceration,
- dilantin,
- dilapidated,
- dilapidation,
- dilatancy,
- dilatant,
- dilatate
Origin of dilapidate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for dilapidate
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. SpearmanSmilash had immediately promised to dilapidate it to its former state at the end of the year.
An Unsocial Socialist|George Bernard Shaw
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
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dilapidate
1560s, "to bring a building to ruin," from Latin dilapidatus, past participle of dilapidare "to squander, waste," originally "to throw stones, scatter like stones;" see dilapidation. Perhaps the English word is a back-formation from dilapidation.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper