Nearby Words
verb (used with object), dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing.
1.
to lay waste; render desolate: The invaders devastated the city.
2.
to overwhelm.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To devastate
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Devastate
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is subtilize. Does it mean:
| to spend time idly; loaf. |
| to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about. |
Example Sentences
- If it's genetic she may have to be put down and it would devastate me.
- These boots are designed to acclimatize and devastate.
- The fear is that a cap-and-trade bill may expand a promising new sector but devastate a struggling, larger one.
Collins
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
devastate
1630s, probably a back-formation from devastation, but apparently not common until 19c.; earlier verb form devast is attested from 1530s, from Fr. devaster. Related: devastated.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Word Dynamo Rating For Devastate
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