ravage
verb (used with object)
to work havoc upon; damage or mar by ruinous or destructive action.
were 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 I saw the headlines that flames were ravaging Santa Rosa Island, sadness washed over me.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
When Bobbi Wilson, 9, took it upon herself to spend hours of her summer aiming to obliterate the invasive spotted lanternflies that were ravaging her northern New Jersey community, she did not expect much attention.
From New York Times ● Feb. 2, 2023
For years Carter Caldwell had adamantly rejected doctors’ recommendations that he consider surgery to treat the frequent, uncontrolled seizures that were ravaging his brain.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 15, 2022
The bulk of damage was from three clusters of blazes that were ravaging forest and rural areas in the wine country and San Francisco Bay Area.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 22, 2020
He became the defender of Rome and Italy against a dangerous invasion of Germanic barbarians, who were ravaging Transalpine Gaul and the Po Valley.
From Early European History by Hutton Webster
