ravage
verb (used with object)
to work havoc upon; damage or mar by ruinous or destructive action.
was ravaging
-
past progressiveof ravage.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
When the Reagan administration did little to recognize, much less address, the HIV/AIDS epidemic that was ravaging marginalized communities in the 1980s, community members organized to care for the sick themselves.
From Salon ● Jan. 9, 2025
Greece’s largest active wildfire was in the country’s northeast near the border with Turkey, where it was ravaging forests and farmland near the town of Alexandroupolis for a third day.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 21, 2023
Beyond the windows of the softly lit library, “a terrible plague was ravaging the world.”
From New York Times ● Nov. 3, 2021
The briefings were filled with both facts and figures about the state of the pandemic, which was ravaging his state’s biggest city, and with ruminations about leadership — the wisdom of Andrew, as it were.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 7, 2021
The first time was after the battle of Worcester on his flight to the coast, and again he came for sanctuary with his whole court when the plague was ravaging the capital.
From Wanderings in Wessex An Exploration of the Southern Realm from Itchen to Otter by Edric Holmes
