Definition of decimate - Reverso English Dictionary
Verb
1.
conflictdevastate or destroy a large part of something
- The hurricane decimated the coastal town.
2.
reductiondrastically reduce the strength or effectiveness of something
- The team was decimated by injuries..
3.
historyDated destroy or remove one-tenth of somethingDated
- The Roman army would decimate rebellious troops.
Expressions with decimate
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drastically reduce the number of people
War can decimate the population of a country in a short time.
Origin of decimate
Latin, decimare (to take a tenth)
Examples of decimate in a sentence
War can decimate entire communities. The economic crisis decimated the small businesses. The wildfire decimated the forest ecosystem. The general threatened to decimate the village if demands were not met. The policy could decimate the local wildlife population.
View all translations of decimate
Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
- French:décimer, réduire drastiquement, ...
- German:verwüsten, schwächen, ...
- Italian:decimare, ridurre drasticamente, ...
- Spanish:diezmar, reducir, ...
- Portuguese:devastar, reduzir drasticamente, ...
- Chinese:摧毁, 大幅削弱, ...
- Japanese:壊滅させる, 弱体化させる, ...
- Arabic:دَمَّرَ, أَهْلَكَ, ...
- Hebrew:לְהַחְרִיב, לְהַחֲלִישׁ, ...
- Russian:опустошать, казнить каждого десятого, ...
- Ukrainian:спустошувати, скорочувати, ...
- Hindi:तहस-नहस करना, बुरी तरह कमज़ोर करना, ...
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