Ravage Meaning
/ˈɹævɪd͡ʒ/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
verbTo devastate, destroy or lay waste to something.
verbTo pillage or plunder destructively; to sack.
Sentence Examples
The storm had the power to ravage the entire coastal town.
They watched as the fire began to ravage the dry forest.
Forest fires continue to ravage the dry woodland areas.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Due to its strong winds, the violent storm will ____ the coastal village within minutes.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The wildfire continued to ____ the forest, destroying thousands of acres of ancient woodland.
Word Origin & History
From French ravage (“ravage, havoc, spoil”), from ravir (“to bear away suddenly”), from Latin rapere (“to snatch, seize”), akin to Ancient Greek ἁρπάζω (harpázō, “to seize”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Already Cæſar
Has ravaged more than half the Globe, and ſees
Mankind grown thin by his deſtructive Sword:
Should he go further, Numbers would be wanting
To form new Battels, and ſupport his Crimes."
— 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 1:
"But the most important service which Probus rendered to the republic was the deliverance of Gaul, and the recovery of seventy flourishing cities oppressed by the barbarians of Germany, who, since the death of Aurelian, had ravaged that great province with impunity."
— 1776, Edward Gibbon, chapter XII, in The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, volume I, London: […] W[illiam] Strahan; and T[homas] Cadell, […], →OCLC, pages 334–335:
"Now Azaēlos, the king of Syria, made war on the Israelites and their king Jehu, and ravaged the eastern parts of the country across the Jordan […] spreading fire everywhere and plundering everything and inflicting violence on all who fell into his hands."
— 1937, Josephus, Ralph Marcus, transl., chapter VIII, in Josephus: With an English Translation (Loeb Classical Library), volume VI (Jewish Antiquities), London: William Heinemann Ltd.; Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, published 1958, →OCLC, book IX, paragraph 1, page 87:
"Would one think 'twere possible for love / To make such ravage in a noble soul!"
— 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act III, scene i, page 35:
"The villages on either side of the Meyn, which were plentifully stored with corn and cattle, felt the ravages of an invading army."
— 1781, Edward Gibbon, chapter XIX, in The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, volume II, London: […] W[illiam] Strahan; and T[homas] Cadell, […], →OCLC, page 172:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Due to its strong winds, the violent storm will ____ the coastal village within minutes.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The wildfire continued to ____ the forest, destroying thousands of acres of ancient woodland.