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• v  cause extensive destruction or ruin utterly
• v  overwhelm or overpower
  He was devastated by his grief when his son died

• Deadly bushfires devastate the natural habitat and life rhythms of the normally nocturnal marsupials, forcing them into the company of their biggest enemy humans.
• In Japan's parliamentary elections, the Prime Minister is out to devastate his foes, transform his party and challenge the status quo.
• Marfans see a plan that could fill Midland's pockets but potentially devastate Marfa's culture, lifestyle and economy, based in large part on tourism thanks to Marfa's proximity to .

• lay waste to
• waste
• desolate
• ravage
• scourge

News & Articles

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• 150 refuse order, forced to flee flood
  Floods continued to devastate communities alongside the surging River Elbe in Germany's northeastern Saxony-Anhalt state Wednesday.
  June 13, 2013 - CNN
• IBM Layoffs Devastate Workers At Essex Junction Facility
  Further IBM layoffs have been slated to take place this Thursday beginning with staffing cuts at IBM’s Essex Junction facility. The layoffs plaguing the Multi-National company were reported on back in March this year with 5000 US based jobs being lost to cheaper labor costs in India. In this latest round of cuts IBM announced that [...] IBM Layoffs Devastate Workers At Essex Junction Facility is ...
  June 12, 2013 - The Inquisitr
• Thousands more forced from home by Germany flooding
  Floods continued to devastate communities alongside the surging River Elbe in Germany's northeastern Saxony-Anhalt state Wednesday.
  June 12, 2013 - CNN

Quotes

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• President Bush in Financial Post
  The risk of not acting would be far higher,Mr. Bush said. "Further stress on our financial markets would cause massive job losses, devastate retirement accounts and further erode housing values, as well as dry up loans for new homes and...
• Sean Parnell in Reuters
  Listing more than 3,000 square miles of Cook Inlet as critical habitat would do little to help grow the beluga population, but it would devastate economic opportunities in the region,Parnell, a Republican, said in a statement.
• John Edwards in International Herald Tribune
  Our nation is facing a housing crisis that could cost millions of families their homes, devastate neighborhoods and seriously damage our economy,Edwards said in a statement. "The Bush plan is months late and more than a million families...