devastate

Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

dev·as·tate [devastate devastates devastated devastating] BrE [ˈdevəsteɪt] NAmE [ˈdevəsteɪt] verb
1. ~ sth to completely destroy a place or an area
•The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city.
2. often passive ~ sb to make sb feel very shocked and sad
Verb forms:

Word Origin:
mid 17th cent.: from Latin devastat- ‘laid waste’, from the verb devastare, from de- ‘thoroughly’ + vastare ‘lay waste’.

• Từ đồng nghĩa / Synonyms:
  lay waste to, waste, desolate, ravage, scourge