decimate

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Software stocks dropped on Friday after digital-payments company Block announced it is slashing more than 4,000 employees — further fueling fears that artificial intelligence could decimate employee head counts and hurt demand for software.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026

The departures could decimate an office already struggling to deal with the surge in immigration enforcement, said B. Todd Jones, a former U.S. attorney for Minnesota.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 13, 2026

Generalist creatures, those that can thrive in a variety of environments, will most easily adapt to city life and may go on to decimate native species.

From Salon • Jun. 15, 2025

If barred owls’ expansion is left unchecked, some experts believe they’ll go on to decimate California spotted owls — which inhabit California’s central and southern mature forests.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2025

Why didn’t Native American diseases instead decimate the Spanish invaders, spread back to Europe, and wipe out 95 percent of Europe’s population?

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond