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
In 2021, the Dixie Fire, which was sparked by PG&E power lines, devastated the town of Greenville and ended up burning nearly 1 million acres, the second-largest fire in state history.
—
Niha Masih, Washington Post, 3 July 2024
Gripped by drought since the early 2000s, California has been devastated by wildfires in recent years.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 2 July 2024
Since then, our country has suffered its worst terrorist attack ever (9/11), experienced the worst financial meltdown since the Great Depression (2008) and was devastated by the worst pandemic since the 1918 Spanish flu (2020).
—Tom Allon, New York Daily News, 1 July 2024
The retired commercial pilot and recreational boater was stranded at sea when the category 4 storm devastated the west coast of Florida in late September 2022.
—Alison O’Brien and Sabina Ryman, CNN, 30 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for devastate 
Niha Masih, Washington Post, 3 July 2024
Gripped by drought since the early 2000s, California has been devastated by wildfires in recent years.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 2 July 2024
Since then, our country has suffered its worst terrorist attack ever (9/11), experienced the worst financial meltdown since the Great Depression (2008) and was devastated by the worst pandemic since the 1918 Spanish flu (2020).
—Tom Allon, New York Daily News, 1 July 2024
The retired commercial pilot and recreational boater was stranded at sea when the category 4 storm devastated the west coast of Florida in late September 2022.
—Alison O’Brien and Sabina Ryman, CNN, 30 June 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.
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Cite this Entry
“Devastate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/devastate. Accessed 7 Jul. 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
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