desecrate
verb (used with object)
to divest of sacred or hallowed character or office.
had desecrated
-
past perfectof desecrate.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
I regretted being honest, because in the moment, it felt as though honesty had desecrated the connection Allen and I were building.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 28, 2025
He had desecrated the memories of the dead Union soldiers, black and white.
From New York Times ● May 18, 2019
When Scot Pollard, a former Jayhawks player, sent him a piece of the Allen Fieldhouse floor to autograph, Williams signed it but accompanied it with a note suggesting his name had desecrated something special.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 25, 2016
For them Lucas had desecrated a second sacred cultural moment: one that promised not radical change but comfort—the warmth of Tatooine’s twin suns.
From The New Yorker ● Jan. 4, 2016
He paused a moment, as though his careless tone had desecrated a sacred scene; the face of the sleeper rose to his mind.
From Sons and Fathers by Harry Stillwell Edwards
