ravages 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of ravage
as in destroys
to bring destruction to (something) through violent action the hurricane ravaged the state and caused billions of dollars worth of damage

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ravages

2 of 2

noun

plural of ravage
as in ruins

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ravages
Verb
Over four decades, Steve Hanke has pursued a worldwide quest to tame the hyperinflation that so frequently ravages developing nations. — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026 As Hurricane Lala ravages Hawaii, three people have died amid the storm. — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 20 Aug. 2026 And now, as Ebola ravages the Congo, advocates say that this is exactly the sort of outbreak that money and coordination was intended to contain. — Adam Harris, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2026 Wildfire ravages Simi Valley as evacuations are underway. — Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 20 May 2026 Greenhouses provide protection from scourges like tomato blight, which ravages otherwise beautiful crops in areas with cool, rainy weather. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2026 Over time, toxins accumulate, and the genetic disorder ravages children’s organs, including their heart — and in many cases, their brain, leading to dementia-like symptoms. — Elizabeth Chuck, NBC news, 1 Apr. 2026 As of early Monday morning, nearly 150 flights at MIA had been impacted, and that's expected to increase as the winter storm ravages the Northeast and mid-Atlantic. — February 23, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026 The tall green trees pop against the clear blue sky, until a wildfire ravages the forest and changes Grainger’s life. — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ravages
  1. destroys
  2. ruins
  3. devastates
  4. desecrations
Verb
  • Unlike a measurement that absorbs or destroys the photons, this method can extract information while preserving the photons themselves.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Raking or shredding those leaves destroys the next generation.
    — Manjot Kaur Sidhu, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of destroys
Noun
  • Gaza was reduced to ruins, and its people were trapped in a cycle of loss and suffering, as the conflict continued to rage.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026
  • This chapter is accompanied by somewhat twee images of an owl doll, a bottle of designer perfume, a high heel, and a golden microphone positioned against various ancient Greek ruins, including the Parthenon and the Monument of the Eponymous Heroes.
    — Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of ruins
Verb
  • As climate chaos causes oceans to swallow coastlands, and as surging water displaces and devastates communities, social survival will demand that people find ways to live and work with – and on – the water.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The urban planner and former professor also knows what happens next after a powerful earthquake devastates whole communities.
    — Luis Giraldo, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of devastates
Noun
  • These are two examples of politicians' truths among a plethora of others that are really lies, distortions, deceptions and desecrations of the citizens' trust in them.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026
  • These attempts to keep down the unquiet dead were, besides being desecrations, exercises in a lot of heavy and often forbidden labor done on decaying bodies.
    — Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2026
Definition of desecrations

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ravagers
ravages
ravaging
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Cite this Entry

“Ravages.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ravages. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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