devastate

/ˌdɛvəˈsteɪt/

/ˈdɛvɪsteɪt/

Other forms: devastating; devastated; devastates

If a storm devastates your town, it comes pretty close to destroying it. To devastate is to cause destruction to or overwhelm.

Really bad news can devastate a person, or leave them devastated. They are so upset, they feel crushed. A basketball team can devastate an opponent by running roughshod over their defense. The root of the word is the Latin vastare which means to lay waste, which comes from vastus meaning desolate or empty. Imagine a city laid waste after a major earthquake and you've got the picture!

Definitions of devastate

1. verb

   cause extensive destruction or ruin utterly
   synonyms: desolate, lay waste to, ravage, scourge, waste

   types:

   ruin

   reduce to ruins

   type of:

   destroy, ruin

   destroy completely; damage irreparably
2. verb

   overwhelm or overpower
   “He was devastated by his grief when his son died”

   type of:

   overcome, overpower, overtake, overwhelm, sweep over, whelm

   overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli