decimate
verb (used with object)
to kill or destroy a great number or proportion of.
is decimating
-
present progressiveof decimate (3rd person singular).present progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or state that is currently taking place in the immediate present.
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.
Demand for pangolin scales and meat has led to rampant poaching that is decimating populations across Asia.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 17, 2023
“White-nose syndrome is decimating cave-dwelling bat species like the northern long-eared bat at unprecedented rates,” said Martha Williams, director of the U.S.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 29, 2022
The framework helped keep a lid on German unemployment following the Great Recession, and is being used again there now that coronavirus is decimating the global economy.
From Slate ● May 5, 2020
Patient Zero Matt Smith stars in this 2018 action horror movie set in an apocalyptic future in which a zombie virus is decimating mankind.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 28, 2018
The people are, of course, told, with suitable statistics, how famine is decimating England and France, and how the total starvation of those unfortunate countries is imminent.
From Crescent and Iron Cross by E. F. (Edward Frederic) Benson
