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- Dictionarydec·i·mate/ˈdesəˌmāt/
verb
- 1. kill, destroy, or remove a large percentage or part of: "the project would decimate the fragile wetland wilderness"
- 2. kill one in every ten of (a group of soldiers or others) as a punishment for the whole group: historical "the man who is to determine whether it be necessary to decimate a large body of mutineers"
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The meaning of DECIMATE is to select by lot and kill every tenth man of. How to use decimate in a sentence. Did you know?
DECIMATE definition: 1. to kill a large number of something, or to reduce something severely: 2. to kill a large number…. Learn more.
If something is drastically reduced or killed, especially in number, you can say it was decimated. "The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico decimated the wildlife along the coast." The verb decimate originally referred to a form of capital punishment for Roman troops.
DECIMATE meaning: 1. to kill a large number of something, or to reduce something severely: 2. to kill a large number…. Learn more.
Decimate definition: to kill or destroy a great number or proportion of. See examples of DECIMATE used in a sentence.
1. To destroy or kill a large part of (a group of people or organisms). 2. Usage Problem. a. To inflict great destruction or damage on: The storm decimated the region. b. To reduce markedly in amount: a profligate heir who decimated his trust fund. 3. To select by lot and kill one in every ten of (a group of soldiers).
To decimate something such as a group of people or animals means to destroy a very large number of them.
