Decimate means to destroy a large part of a group or to reduce something severely. To use decimate in a sentence, name what is destroyed and keep the cause as the subject: “The storm decimated the coastal orchards.” The verb is transitive, and its modern sense is broader than the strict historical one.
Decimate at a glance
- Decimate is a transitive verb; its forms are decimates, decimated, decimating and decimation.
- The modern senses are destroying a large proportion of a group and reducing something severely.
- The usual subjects are a disease, a storm, a war, high costs or a policy.
- The word belongs to news, history and formal writing rather than casual speech.
- The commonest error is confusing decimate with the lookalike verb deviate.
What does decimate mean?
Decimate is a transitive verb meaning to destroy a large part of a group, or to reduce a group or system severely. Both senses are about numbers: something that was numerous becomes much smaller. The Cambridge entry for decimate records the destroy-a-large-proportion sense, which is the one writers use today.
| Sense | Plain meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Destroy a large part of | Kill or remove most of a group | The blight decimated the island’s potato crop. |
| Reduce severely | Cut the strength or number of something sharply | Online sales decimated the local bookshops. |
The word shares a family with destroy a harvest, but decimate is narrower: it always suggests a group losing a large share of its members, not one object being smashed. A single barn can be destroyed; only a herd, a population or a trade can be decimated.
The word’s Latin root means tenth, and the strict historical sense was to kill one soldier in ten as a punishment. That narrow meaning is now rare, and a writer who insists on it will sound pedantic. The honest limitation is this: decimate is stronger than reduce but weaker than annihilate, and it says nothing about who is to blame.
How do you use decimate in a sentence?
Put the cause first and the group that suffers second. Five patterns cover almost every real sentence, and the passive appears whenever the disaster matters more than who or what caused it.
| Pattern | Example | What it signals |
|---|---|---|
| cause + decimate + group | The drought decimated the cattle herd. | A force removes a large share of a group. |
| be decimated by + cause | The village was decimated by the fever. | Passive voice; the sufferer is the subject. |
| decimate + a trade or economy | Streaming decimated the DVD rental trade. | A whole industry is reduced. |
| decimate + numbers or population | Overfishing has decimated cod numbers. | Focus falls on a measurable count. |
| decimating (participial) | Costs are decimating small farms. | An ongoing process rather than a finished event. |
If you only mean a modest fall, reduce the number is the safer verb, because decimate claims that a large share is gone. Precision matters here, and the wrong verb exaggerates a routine decline.
Decimate in a sentence: examples across contexts
Decimate changes register more than meaning. The nine sentences below keep the same verb while moving from a classroom to a science report, and each one names the group that shrinks.
| Context | Example sentence | Why this works |
|---|---|---|
| Classroom | The cold snap decimated the butterfly enclosure. | A concrete cause and a countable group keep it clear. |
| School project | Mould decimated our bean seedlings over the weekend. | An everyday mishap shows the destroy-a-share sense. |
| Workplace email | Rising rents have decimated the small business park. | An economic cause reduces a whole community. |
| News report | The flood decimated crops along the lower valley. | A named event and a named region, as reporting needs. |
| Science writing | The fungus decimated amphibian populations across two continents. | A measured population is the object. |
| History essay | Plague decimated the town three times in a single century. | The repetition shows how severely a group was reduced. |
| Business writing | Free delivery has decimated the corner shops. | A market force is the subject of the reduction. |
| Conservation note | Poaching decimated the rhino herd within a decade. | A human cause and a specific animal group. |
| Conversation | The last frost decimated my tomato row. | A small-scale, personal use of the verb. |
Almost every sentence keeps decimate as the action and a living or countable group as the object. A single tree is not decimated; a row of them can be, and a disease can even wipe out a species entirely, which goes a step beyond decimation.
Decimate vs deviate
Decimate and deviate look alike and share almost no meaning. Decimate destroys a large share of a group; deviate from a plan means to turn away from an expected course. A spelling mix-up between them is the commonest error in school essays.
| Attribute | decimate | deviate |
|---|---|---|
| Core meaning | Destroy a large part of a group | Turn away from a route or rule |
| Needs an object | Yes: decimate the herd | Usually no: deviate from the plan |
| Typical subject | A storm, a disease, a cost | A driver, a pilot, a speaker |
| Result | Fewer members remain | A different course is taken |
| Register | News, history, formal prose | Neutral to technical |
Verdict: choose decimate when a group loses a large share of its members, and deviate when something leaves its intended path. They are neighbours in spelling only.
Word forms and grammar of decimate
Decimate inflects regularly, and its noun the decimation is common in headlines. The table also lists two words learners reach for when they really mean a gentler reduction.
| Form | Part of speech | Example |
|---|---|---|
| decimate | verb, base form | Disease can decimate a herd within weeks. |
| decimates | verb, third person singular | Illegal logging decimates the forest. |
| decimated | verb, past and past participle | The storm decimated the orchard. |
| decimating | verb, present participle | Rising costs are decimating the trade. |
| decimation | noun | The decimation of the fleet took one season. |
| reduce | verb, weaker meaning | The council reduced the fee by half. |
Common mistakes with decimate
- Incorrect:
The team was decimated of its best players.Correct: The team was decimated by injuries. Rule: The cause follows by or with; of is not used this way. - Incorrect:
He decimated the vase with one blow.Correct: He destroyed the vase with one blow. Rule: Decimate needs a group, not a single object. - Incorrect:
Sales decimated last year.Correct: Sales fell sharply last year. Rule: Decimate is transitive, so it always needs an object to act on. - Incorrect:
The road decimated from the main route.Correct: The road deviated from the main route. Rule: Deviate means to turn aside; the two verbs are not related. - Incorrect:
The price rise decimated nothing at all.Correct: The price rise barely dented demand. Rule: Decimate claims a large loss, so it cannot describe a tiny effect.
Practice using decimate
Work through the six items, then check the reasoning rather than only the answer.
- Fill the gap: A single frost ______ the young orange grove.
- Choose the better word: The council cut the fee slightly, a small change but enough to (decimate / reduce) the backlog.
- Correct the error: The flock was decimated of the disease.
- Build a sentence: use be decimated by about a village hit by a long drought.
- Spot the register: which belongs in a news report – the beetle has decimated the pine forest, or the beetle ate lots of trees?
- Rewrite with the noun: The flood decimated the lowland farms. Use decimation instead.
Answers
- decimated – the frost is the cause and the grove is the group that shrinks.
- reduce – a slight change is too small for decimate, which claims a large share.
- The flock was decimated by the disease – the cause follows by.
- Model answer: The village was decimated by a drought that lasted three years.
- The beetle has decimated the pine forest – a news report keeps the precise verb.
- The flood caused the decimation of the lowland farms – the noun needs a verb such as caused.
The bottom line
Use decimate in a sentence when a large share of a group is destroyed or a system is sharply reduced, and keep the cause as the subject and the group as the object. The two nuances that decide most sentences are these: decimate needs a countable group rather than a single object, and it is stronger than reduce but weaker than annihilate a fleet. The strict one-in-ten sense survives only in history writing.
Frequently asked questions about decimate
Does decimate mean to destroy one in ten?
Historically it did, describing a Roman punishment that killed one soldier in ten. Modern usage has broadened the word to mean destroying a large proportion of any group. The narrow sense still appears in history writing, but insisting on it in ordinary prose now sounds pedantic rather than precise.
What is the difference between decimate and destroy?
Destroy can apply to a single object, while decimate applies to a group losing a large share of its members. A storm destroys a barn and decimates a herd. Because decimate always implies numbers, it carries a statistical flavour that the general verb destroy does not.
Can decimate be used without an object?
No. Decimate is transitive, so it always needs something to act on, as in the drought decimated the crops. Sentences such as sales decimated are incomplete and should use a verb like fell or shrank. This is the error that most often marks a hurried writer.
Is decimate too strong for a small decline?
Yes. Decimate claims that a large proportion is gone, so a small fall needs reduce, cut or dip instead. If a fee drops by a tenth, reduce fits and decimate exaggerates. Matching the verb to the size of the loss is what keeps a sentence credible to careful readers.
Have you ever wondered about the word “decimate” and its true meaning? This term is often used to signify widespread destruction or devastation, but its actual definition may surprise you.
To “decimate” means to destroy a large portion of something, often referring to a significant reduction in numbers or strength. This word originates from the Latin word “decimatus,” which literally translates to “to reduce by a tenth.”
7 Examples Of Decimate Used In a Sentence For Kids
- The tornado decimate the entire village.
- The hungry caterpillar decimate the fruit garden.
- The naughty monkey decimate the banana tree.
- The strong wind decimate the delicate flowers.
- The hungry ants decimate the picnic food.
- The mischievous puppy decimate the shoe collection.
- The big wave decimate the sandcastle.
14 Sentences with Decimate Examples
- The final exams are going to decimate my social life for the next few weeks.
- Procrastination can decimate your chances of getting a good grade in a subject.
- The deadline for the project is going to decimate our sleep schedules.
- Failing to prepare for a presentation can decimate your confidence in public speaking.
- Missing too many classes can decimate your understanding of the subject material.
- Pulling an all-nighter can decimate your ability to focus the next day.
- Choosing the wrong electives can decimate your interest in the course material.
- Getting a low GPA can decimate your chances of getting into a good graduate program.
- Skipping meals to study can decimate your energy levels.
- Ignoring feedback from professors can decimate your chances of improving your work.
- Not networking with fellow students can decimate your opportunities for collaboration.
- Getting caught cheating can decimate your academic reputation.
- Choosing the wrong study group can decimate your productivity during study sessions.
- Overloading on extracurricular activities can decimate your free time for relaxation.
How To Use Decimate in Sentences?
Decimate means to destroy or reduce something drastically. When using this word in a sentence, it is important to remember that it is often used in a figurative sense to describe a significant decrease or destruction.
To use decimate in a sentence, first identify the subject that is being affected. For example, “The hurricane decimated the small coastal town.”
Next, describe the extent of the destruction or reduction that has occurred. For instance, “The wildfire decimated the forest, leaving only ash and charred trees behind.”
Remember that decimate implies a severe impact, so make sure to use it in situations where the level of destruction or reduction is significant.
Additionally, it is helpful to provide context or additional information to paint a clearer picture of the situation. For example, “The economic downturn decimated the company’s profits, leading to massive layoffs.”
By following these guidelines, you can effectively incorporate the word decimate into your written or spoken communication. Just remember to use it when describing a dramatic decrease or destruction to clearly convey the severity of the situation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, “decimate” means to severely reduce or destroy something. The word is often used in contexts where a large portion of something is eliminated or reduced significantly. For example, natural disasters can decimate entire communities, and diseases can decimate populations. It is important to note that “decimate” carries a strong connotation of devastating loss or destruction, emphasizing the significant impact of the reduction. When using this word, it is crucial to convey the scale and severity of the damage inflicted.
Overall, “decimate” serves as a powerful term to describe situations where a substantial part of something is wiped out or drastically reduced. By understanding its meaning and using it appropriately, one can effectively convey the magnitude of devastation or loss in various scenarios, from environmental disasters to population declines.
