The most popular online dictionary and thesaurus for learners of English
decimate
verb [T usually passive] /ˈdes.ɪ.meɪt/Definition
› to kill a large number of something, or to reduce something severely: Populations of endangered animals have been decimated.KillingMurder and attempted murderBecoming and making smaller or lessBecoming and making less strong
(Definition of decimate verb from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
Focus on the pronunciation of decimate
Browse related topics
You are looking at an entry to do with Becoming and making smaller or less, but you might be interested in these topics from the Size and quantity topic area:
- Also, extra, and in addition
- Augmenting and supplementing
- Available and accessible
- Becoming bigger
- Big and quite big
- Enlarging and inflating
- Enormous
- Enough
- Extremely small
- General words for size and amount
- Increasing and intensifying
- Large in number or quantity
- Masses and large amounts of things
- Maximum and minimum
- Medium-sized
- Merely and barely
- Plenty and abundant
- Scarce, inadequate and not enough
- Small
- Small in number and quantity
- Some and quite
- Someone, anyone, no one or everyone
- Something, anything, nothing, and everything
- Things collected in lines or rings
- Things remaining
- Too much and unnecessary
- Unavailable and inaccessible
- Unlimited
- Words meaning small pieces and amounts
Browse the Thesaurus
SMART Thesaurus: Becoming and making smaller or less
Synonyms and related words:
- a nip (here) and a tuck (there) idiom
- absorb verb (TAKE IN)
- attenuate verb
- axe verb
- bite into sth phrasal verb
- boil sth down phrasal verb
- compress verb
- contraction noun (REDUCTION)
- let sth down phrasal verb (AIR)
- let-up noun
- lower verb (REDUCE)
- make a hole in sth idiom
- miniaturization noun
- scale sth down phrasal verb
- shave sth off sth phrasal verb
- shrivel verb
- slash verb
- slim sth down phrasal verb
- slip verb (VALUE)
- telescope verb
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Word of the Day
Blog
Read our blog about how the English language behaves.
New Words
Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.
