decimate
verb (used with object)
to kill or destroy a great number or proportion of.
had been decimating
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past perfect progressiveof decimate.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
Further south on Catalina, hunters were conscripted in the 1990s to fully eliminate the island’s feral goat population, which had been decimating native plants for decades.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2023
Online commerce, which had been decimating physical retailers for more than a decade, accelerated its crushing inevitability.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 24, 2020
