devastate
verb
dev·as·tate
ˈde-və-ˌstāt 
devastated; devastating
1
: to bring to ruin or desolation by violent action
a country devastated by war
The typhoon devastated the island.
2
: to reduce to chaos, disorder, or helplessness : overwhelm
devastated by grief
Her wisecrack devastated the class.
Examples of devastate in a Sentence
The flood devastated the town.
The disease has devastated the area's oak tree population.
The hurricane left the island completely devastated.
Recent Examples on the Web
The attack devastated the local community, which lost 20 first-grade students and six school staffers to yet another act of seemingly inexplicable gun violence.
—
Donald J. Mihalek, ABC News, 20 Apr. 2024
The species can devastate agricultural crops as their populations increase.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for devastate 
Donald J. Mihalek, ABC News, 20 Apr. 2024
The species can devastate agricultural crops as their populations increase.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for devastate
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'devastate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to devastate
Dictionary Entries Near devastate
Cite this Entry
“Devastate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/devastate. Accessed 4 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
devastate
verb
dev·as·tate
ˈdev-ə-ˌstāt
devastated; devastating
1
: to reduce to ruin : lay waste
2
: overwhelm sense 2, overpower
devastated by grief
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share