ravage
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
-
to work havoc; do ruinous damage.
noun
-
havoc; ruinous damage.
the ravages of war.
-
devastating or destructive action.
- Synonyms:
- desolation, waste, ruin
- Antonyms:
- creation
verb
-
to cause extensive damage to
noun
-
(often plural) destructive action
the ravages of time
Related Words
Ravage, devastate, lay waste all refer, in their literal application, to the wholesale destruction of a countryside by an invading army (or something comparable). Lay waste has remained the closest to the original meaning of destruction of land: The invading army laid waste the towns along the coast. But ravage and devastate are used in reference to other types of violent destruction and may also have a purely figurative application. Ravage is often used of the results of epidemics: The Black Plague ravaged 14th-century Europe; and even of the effect of disease or suffering on the human countenance: a face ravaged by despair. Devastate, in addition to its concrete meaning ( vast areas devastated by bombs ), may be used figuratively: a devastating remark.
Other Word Forms
- ravagement noun
- ravager noun
Etymology
Origin of ravage
First recorded in 1605–15; from French, Middle French, equivalent to rav(ir) “to snatch away, ravish” + -age -age ( def. ); ravish
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Citrini selloff latched onto the market’s recent paranoia that artificial intelligence could ravage established players in a range of industries.
From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026
The limits have hobbled Russia’s use of drone-mounted terminals that had begun to ravage Ukrainian supply lines.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026
The parents said the fire service arrived "really quickly" but it had "felt like forever" as they were watching the fire ravage their home.
From BBC • Jan. 5, 2025
By 2022, as the pandemic continued to ravage normal life in the U.S.,
From Slate • Nov. 22, 2024
I ravage the pantry and fridge, but we don’t even have tortillas—nothing except condiments, eggs, and one sad pickle floating in a jar.
From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.