devastate

Pronunciation

• IPA ^(key): /ˈdɛvəsteɪt/

• Audio (US)

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Verb

Plain form devastate

Third-person singular devastates

Past tense devastated

Past participle devastated

Present participle devastating

1. (transitive) If something devastates something else such as a family, a city, or the economy, it partly or completely destroys it.
   • Synonyms: ruin and destroy

   The economies of several countries were devastated by the war.

2. (transitive) If someone is devastated by a comment or situation, they are very upset by it.

   We were devastated by the loss of our son.

Related words

• devastated
• devastating