verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Canada, UK, US:/ˈdɛv.ə.steɪt/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Australian:/ˈdev.ə.stæɪt/
CMU ARPABET:D EH1 V AH0 S T EY2 T
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
verb
Meaning 1
To ruin many or all things over a large area, such as most or all buildings of a city, or cities of a region, or trees of a forest.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
verb
Meaning 2
To destroy a whole collection of related ideas, beliefs, and strongly held opinions.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
To break beyond recovery or repair so that the only options are abandonment or the clearing away of useless remains (if any) and starting over.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
verb
Meaning 4
To greatly demoralize, to cause to suffer intense grief or dismay
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
The enemy lay waste to the countryside after the invasion
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: lay waste to, waste, desolate, ravage, scourge
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: destroy, ruin
Narrower terms: ruin
History
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin dēvastātus, perfect passive participle of dēvastō (“to lay waste, devastate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)); from dē- (augmentative prefix) + vastō (“to destroy, lay waste”). See vast. First attested in 1638.
Across languages
Translations
38 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Azerbaijani:
viran etmək
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Bulgarian:
опустошавам
(opustošavam)
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Catalan:
devastar
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Chinese Mandarin:
摧毀 /摧毁
(cuīhuǐ)
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Chinese Mandarin:
破壞 /破坏
(pòhuài)
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Chinese Mandarin:
蹂躪 /蹂躏
(róulìn)
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Danish:
ødelægge
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Finnish:
tehdä tuhoa (suurta)
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Finnish:
hävittää
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Finnish:
tuhota
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Finnish:
mullistaa
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
French:
dévaster
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Galician:
devastar
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
German:
verwüsten
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
German:
verheeren
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Ancient Greek:
λυμαίνομαι
(lumaínomai)
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Ancient Greek:
ἐρημόω
(erēmóō)
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Hungarian:
elpusztít
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Irish:
slad
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Italian:
devastare
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Japanese:
破壊する
(hakai suru)
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Latin:
vastō
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Latin:
dēvastō
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Latin:
populor
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Norwegian Bokmål:
ødelegge
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Polish:
dewastować
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Polish:
zdewastować
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Portuguese:
devastar
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Romanian:
devasta
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Russian:
опустоша́ть
(opustošátʹ)
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Russian:
опустоши́ть
(opustošítʹ)
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Russian:
разоря́ть
(razorjátʹ)
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Russian:
разори́ть
(razorítʹ)
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Spanish:
devastar
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Swedish:
ödelägga
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Ukrainian:
спусто́шувати
(spustóšuvaty)
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Ukrainian:
спусто́шити
(spustóšyty)
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
Ukrainian:
пусто́шити
(pustóšyty)
— to ruin many or all things over a large area
