Meaning & use
decimating
Last updated
Killing, destroying, or removing a large proportion of something.
See it in a sentence
The wildfire was decimating entire neighborhoods within hours.
Overfishing has been decimating cod populations in the North Atlantic.
A note on using this word
Originally referring to the Roman military punishment of killing one in every ten soldiers, "decimate" today is used broadly to mean destroying a large part of something.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
restoringrebuilding
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