as in extermination
formal
a usually violent act in which something is damaged or destroyed or in which a person or animal is killed
The town had somehow escaped the depredations of enemy soldiers.
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Recent Examples of depredation
Keith Michael Lisa, 51, of Barnegat, was charged with possession of a dangerous weapon in a federal facility and depredation of federal property, Habba announced Tuesday.
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Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 19 Nov. 2025
Federal wildlife agents confirmed the two depredation events, which took place Friday and Saturday, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 1 Oct. 2025
Despite years of sitting on the sidelines, the United States has an opportunity to reassert itself in seeking to end the depredations of the junta and advance the cause of democracy in Myanmar.
—Dan Swift, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2025
Four people were arrested, and three were charged felony offenses of assaulting a federal officer, while the fourth was charged with misdemeanor offense of depredation of government property, according to a Department of Justice press release.
—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Sep. 2025
Much of Russian research never fully recovered from the depredations of the Stalin era.
—Scott Montgomery, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
The pack consists of up to 15 wolves of various ages roaming federal public land near an active cattle grazing allotment, where many of the depredation incidents took place, according the memo.
—John Leos, AZCentral.com, 24 Aug. 2025
From July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024, Idaho Wildlife Services investigated 99 wolf depredations.
—Nathan Rott, NPR, 21 Aug. 2025
Researchers say more study is needed to pinpoint the causes of angler-shark encounters and whether depredation is actually increasing or simply being reported more often, including through social media.
—Miami Herald, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for depredation
Noun
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The La Jolla Shores Hotel is tented and closed for about a week for termite extermination.—
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Her foundation helped fund a plan with the mayor of Bucharest in Romania to sterilize hundreds of thousands of stray dogs in the city, as an alternative to extermination.—
Noun
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Taking office as a result of the most corrupt Election ever seen in the United States, Biden oversaw a series of unprecedented disasters that brought our Nation to the brink of destruction.—
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Tony Blain, who resigned from his council seat last fall, is also accused of destruction of public documents and misdemeanor petty theft, according to the criminal complaint filed in October.—
Noun
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That one saw John Garrity (Butler) maximizing his privilege by leading his estranged wife, Allison (Morena Baccarin), and their diabetic son, Nathan, to an extinction-proof shelter that had been reserved for people like them.—
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Although commercial whaling once pushed the species to the brink of extinction, fin whale populations in the Atlantic have shown signs of recovery in recent decades following international bans and protections under laws such as the Marine Mammal Protection Act.—
Noun
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Raw and vulnerable, Coon reveals that Agnes has been starving for penance, ready to offer herself up for slaughter.—
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The Kohbergers’ pride in Bryan was shattered by the revelation that he was suspected of and later admitted to the slaughter.—
Noun
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The Uvalde massacre remains one of the deadliest US school shootings, a continuing scourge that has spurred security measures in classrooms across America.—
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They are used as a pretext to justify the siege, shelling and massacres committed against civilians.—
Noun
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The Vulcan Society, an organization of Black firefighters, also expressed their devastation over Lynch’s death.—
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The councilwoman emphasized that every neighborhood in Los Angeles is just one disaster from devastation.—
Cite this Entry
“Depredation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/depredation. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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