verb

decimate

DEH-sih-mayt

verb

To destroy or reduce a large part of something.

"The wildfire decimated the local wildlife population."

"Cheap imports decimated the domestic textile industry."

Historically, to kill one in every ten of a group, especially as a punishment carried out in the Roman army.

"According to legend, the legion was decimated after the mutiny."

How to Use Decimate

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo wipe out a huge portion of something — used loosely today to mean "devastate" rather than the strict "one in ten."

Common mistake

Traditionalists insist "decimate" should only mean reducing by exactly one-tenth, but modern usage almost always means "destroy a large part of" — both are acceptable in current English.

Common pairings

decimate the population decimate an industry decimated by disease

Word Forms

decimated past tense, decimates plural, decimates singular

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “decimate” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The wildfire _____ the local wildlife population.

Etymology

From Latin decimare, "to take a tenth" or "to punish by killing one in ten" — from decimus, "tenth." The word originally referred to this specific Roman military punishment before broadening to mean severe destruction generally.

Rhymes for decimate

ate date rate mate fate gate hate pate late Nate Kate cate

See all rhymes for decimate →