Parrivo word videos
Devastate: meaning and sentence examples
devastate means to cause very severe damage or destruction. Watch the story, then try free practice below.
Read the story
The city is devastated!
Really?
Only one tower is damaged. The rest is fine.
Uh-oh. Look at that wave!
Here, devastate means cause severe, widespread damage.
Serious damage, across many parts of the city.
The rebuilding begins!
Again?
Words change everything.
Explore the word · verb
What does devastate mean?
to cause very severe damage or destruction.
How the story shows the meaning
At first, only one tower is damaged while the rest of the model is fine. The later wave causes severe damage across the city. That scale and seriousness fit the meaning used in this story.
devastate in a sentence
- The flood could devastate the low-lying neighborhood if the barrier failed.
- The storm devastated the orchard, destroying most of its trees.
- Losing the final game devastated the team captain, who felt deeply upset.
Devastate can describe severe physical destruction or overwhelming emotional distress. The final example uses the emotional meaning. Match the strength of the word to the situation.
Check your understanding
Read the answer and explanation
A flood destroys most of a model town. Correct. This describes severe, widespread damage.
Try two more questions
Explain your thinking, then open a sample answer. These are extra practice examples to use after watching.
1. Why is “The city is devastated” too strong for the first damaged tower in the story?
Show sample answer
The rest of the city is still fine. The description claims a degree of destruction that the first scene does not support.
2. In “The news devastated her,” does the word describe damage to a building?
Show sample answer
No. Here it means the news caused overwhelming emotional distress. Context tells you which meaning fits.
Companion lesson by Parrivo · Updated