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

So it doesn’t make sense that a deeper understanding of a complex set of unremittingly cruel brain diseases that decimate the lives of victims, and their loved ones, is no longer a priority.

From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2025

To decimate once meant “to slaughter every tenth one,” although it’s rarely used literally these days.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner