decimate

/'desimeit/
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decimate

The plague decimated the population of the medieval town.

Definition
  1. Verb:
    • To destroy or kill a large proportion of something: To severely reduce the strength, number, or effectiveness of a group.
    • (Historical) To kill one in every ten of a group: Originating from the Roman army practice of executing every tenth soldier in a mutinous unit as a collective punishment.
Examples of Usage
  • Verb:
    • The outbreak of disease decimated the local deer population.
    • Budget cuts have decimated funding for the arts program.
    • (Historical) The general ordered the mutinous cohort to be decimated.
Advanced Usage
  • "to be decimated by": to be severely reduced or destroyed by a particular cause.
    • The coastal town was decimated by the hurricane.
  • Figurative Use: Often used to mean "to cause great damage or destruction to" rather than a precise 10% reduction.
    • The new policy decimated employee morale.
Variants and Related Words
  • Decimation (noun): The act or result of decimating.
    • The decimation of the rainforest is a global concern.
Synonyms
  • Annihilate: To destroy completely.
  • Devastate: To cause great damage or destruction.
  • Wipe out: To eliminate entirely.
Related Phrases
  • "to decimate a population": to kill a large part of a group of people or animals.
  • "to decimate resources": to severely deplete or use up resources.
decimate

The plague decimated the population of the medieval town.

Verb
  1. kill in large numbers
    • the plague wiped out an entire population
  2. kill one in every ten, as of mutineers in Roman armies

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