desecrate

verb

des·​e·​crate ˈde-si-ˌkrāt How to pronounce desecrate (audio)
desecrated; desecrating

transitive verb

1
: to violate the sanctity of : profane
desecrate a shrine
a cemetery desecrated by vandals
2
: to treat disrespectfully, irreverently, or outrageously
… the kind of shore development … that has desecrated so many waterfronts …John Fischer
desecrater noun
or desecrator

Examples of desecrate in a Sentence

The vandals were accused of desecrating graves. vandals desecrated the cemetery last night by covering the tombstones with graffiti
Recent Examples on the Web Israel dug up ancient cemeteries, and desecrated recent mass graves. Doris Bittar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2024 Controversy surfaced late last year when the Navajo Nation decried a commercial mission for carrying human remains, arguing that such deposits on the moon would desecrate sacred space. Sarah Matusek, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 Jan. 2024 The Israeli military has desecrated at least 16 cemeteries in its ground offensive in Gaza, a CNN investigation has found, leaving gravestones ruined, soil upturned, and, in some cases, bodies unearthed. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2024 Late last December, the Navajo Nation requested that U.S. officials delay Peregrine’s launch amid concerns that landing the remains would desecrate the moon, which the Diné (the Navajo people) consider sacred. Michael Greshko, Scientific American, 9 Jan. 2024 Does Palestinian solidarity mean desecrating a Jewish symbol? Gabriel Diamond, National Review, 22 Dec. 2023 But extraction efforts in other parts of the country — such as Nevada’s Thacker Pass and Utah’s Great Salt Lake — have faced pushback from conservation activists and Native American tribes over their potential to destroy wildlife habitat, gobble up scarce water and desecrate sacred sites. Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2023 The content included GoPro footage of fighters desecrating the bodies of Israeli serviceman. Ken Dilanian, NBC News, 18 Oct. 2023 By the time Elgin’s men arrived, the Parthenon had been occupied, desecrated and burned. William Booth, Washington Post, 28 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'desecrate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

de- + -secrate (as in consecrate)

First Known Use

1675, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of desecrate was in 1675

Dictionary Entries Near desecrate

Cite this Entry

“Desecrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/desecrate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

desecrate

verb
des·​e·​crate ˈdes-i-ˌkrāt How to pronounce desecrate (audio)
desecrated; desecrating
: to treat a sacred place or sacred object shamefully or with great disrespect
desecrater noun
or desecrator
desecration
ˌdes-i-ˈkrā-shən
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on desecrate

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