verb / noun
ravage
RAV-ij/ˈrævɪdʒ/
Severe damage or destruction, or to cause it.
Wildfires ravage the forest and force nearby residents to evacuate.
Etymology
French ravager meant to lay waste and came from a noun for destruction, especially by floods. This earlier use gives the modern sense a concrete image of overwhelming damage.
In context
and became the foot soldiers for the Afghan jihad and then part of the Afghan Taliban movement. By 1990s, the Afghan jihad had morphed into civil war which continues to ravage the country until today.
More examples
- Disease has ravaged the farmer's tomato crop.
- The old bridge shows the ravages of time.
- The town still bears the ravages of war.
Forms
ravage · ravages · ravaged · ravaging
Similar words
- devastate
- Devastate emphasizes overwhelming damage across an area or community.
- destroy
- Destroy suggests complete ruin rather than extensive damage.