decimation
the destruction of a great number or proportion of people, animals, or things:There is growing evidence that pesticide use is contributing significantly to the decimation of bee populations.
the act or practice of killing one-tenth of a population, as a punishment, to cull wild animals, or for other purposes:The Roman Empire used decimation, executing 1 in 10 people—ordinary citizens, slaves, or soldiers—to quell mutinies, riots, and other uprisings.
Origin of decimation
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use decimation in a sentence
As this pandemic continues to decimate the livelihoods of countless independent musicians, Swift has sold more albums inside this calendar year than anyone else on Earth.
With the pandemic decimating ridership and fare revenue, the agency is looking to cut one-quarter of its $2 billion in annual operating expenses from next year’s budget.
Metro board moves ‘doomsday’ budget forward to accept public comments | Justin George | December 11, 2020 | Washington PostFrom coast to coast, transit agencies are planning for layoffs and pared-down service as the coronavirus pandemic decimates budgets and a federal stimulus package remains stalled in Congress.
Transit system service cuts proposed in Congress’s backyard elicit calls for more funding | Justin George, Lori Aratani, Meagan Flynn | December 2, 2020 | Washington PostIn the past six months, companies ranging from Uber to NBCUniversal to Boeing have laid off employees, as industry after industry has been decimated.
Free sampling — an age-old marketing tactic — has been decimated by store closures and lockdown mandates from coronavirus.
‘No brainer’: Marie Claire launches sampling business to boost revenue and data practice | Lucinda Southern | August 3, 2020 | Digiday
But the site has seen little of the decimation from heavy tourism that has plagued the northern pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
In Texas, the grave consequences of the decimation of state family-planning funds in 2011 are already evident.
Isabel Allende: How a Mysterious Baby Girl Sparked My Fight for Women | Isabel Allende | October 20, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTThe Shirt-tail battalion and the bluegrass battalion stood in peril of decimation in their maiden engagement.
The Code of the Mountains | Charles Neville BuckThe Texans in their escape and conflicts had lost five men, and Santa Anna demanded the decimation of the rest.
It is only because of the large families that they rear, that they are able to withstand this yearly decimation of their ranks.
The Bird Book | Chester A. ReedWe should not be surprised if at least one part of the mysterious decimation turned out to be an early act of beneficial hidation.
Domesday Book and Beyond | Frederic William MaitlandSometimes the inroads of tigers cause the abandonment of an entire village, the natives preferring exile to gradual decimation.
Indo-China and Its Primitive People | Henry Baudesson
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