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.

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