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.

The IOC used visual inspections in the 1960s, but there were concerns they were degrading and invasive, before mandatory chromosome-based cheek swab tests were introduced.

From BBC • Aug. 31, 2025

This provided further evidence that the native microbes were degrading the biodegradable straws, whereas the non-biodegradable straws likely persist in the ocean.

From Science Daily • Jan. 30, 2024

But in the 2000s, as the congregation was shrinking and the grounds were degrading, some temple leaders and members thought it might make sense to sell the building.

From New York Times • Jan. 2, 2022

The Commerce Department said the metals were a national security risk because they were degrading the American industrial base.

From New York Times • Mar. 22, 2018

It was the harsh recital of poverty, of suspicion, of mean makeshifts and compromises, of low pains and lower longings, of sorrows that were degrading, of a grief that was pitiable.

From Tales of the Argonauts by Harte, Bret