Desecrate - English meaning

verb

Make (something) impure by exposure to or addition of a poisonous or polluting substance.

Usage examples:

The site was found to be contaminated by radioactivity

verb

To make something less pure or make it poisonous

Usage examples:

The disease can be caused by a variety of viruses, bacteria, and other small organisms that contami…

verb

To make something less pure or make it poisonous

Usage examples:

The government recently reported that 10% of farmland has been destroyed by pollution and that heav…

noun

Physical harm that impairs the value, usefulness, or normal function of something.

Usage examples:

Bombing caused extensive damage to the town

verb

Inflict physical harm on (something) so as to impair its value, usefulness, or normal function.

Usage examples:

The car was badly damaged in the accident

verb

To harm or spoil something

Usage examples:

Many buildings were badly damaged by the earthquake., news reports damaged the senator’s reputation…

verb

Reduce (something) in quality or value; degrade.

Usage examples:

The love episodes debase the dignity of the drama

verb

To reduce in quality or value

Usage examples:

Television is often blamed for debasing american politics.

verb

To make something less good or less valuable

Usage examples:

Some argue that money has debased football., we debase language by using it inappropriately until i…

verb

Spoil the surface or appearance of (something), for example by drawing or writing on it.

Usage examples:

He defaced library books

verb

To damage and spoil the appearance of something by writing or drawing on it

Usage examples:

He was fined for defacing library books.

verb

Damage the purity or appearance of; mar or spoil.

Usage examples:

The land was defiled by a previous owner

noun

A steep-sided narrow gorge or passage (originally one requiring troops to march in single file).

Usage examples:

The twisting track wormed its way up a defile to level ground

verb

(of troops) march in single file.

Usage examples:

We emerged after defiling through the mountainsides

verb

Treat or regard (someone) with contempt or disrespect.

Usage examples:

She thought that many supposedly erotic pictures degraded women

verb

To reduce the quality of something

Usage examples:

Degrading water/air quality, degraded sound quality, the state is funding projects to restore degra…

verb

To become worse in quality, or to make something worse

Usage examples:

Unlike with a cassette player, the sound of the mp3 player doesn't degrade as the battery weakens.

verb

End the existence of (something) by damaging or attacking it.

Usage examples:

The room had been destroyed by fire

verb

To damage something, esp. in a violent way, so that it can no longer be used or no longer exists

Usage examples:

You can use a shredder to destroy old bank statements., losing his job seemed to completely destroy…

verb

To damage something so badly that it cannot be used

Usage examples:

Most of the old part of the city was destroyed by bombs during the war., completely/totally destroy…

noun

A state of shame or disgrace.

Usage examples:

They have brought dishonour upon our family

verb

Bring shame or disgrace on.

Usage examples:

The ceremony was undertaken if a pupil had done something to dishonour the school

verb

If a bank dishonours a cheque, it refuses to pay it because there is not enough money in the account of the person who has written the cheque

Usage examples:

The bank of australia reversed its decision to raise fees for dishonored checks., the government ha…

verb

Affect (a person, organism, etc.) with a disease-causing organism.

Usage examples:

Pregnant women who may have been infected with the virus

verb

To cause disease in someone by introducing organisms such as bacteria or viruses

Usage examples:

Mosquitoes can infect people with malaria., fig. fear of an attack infected the entire city., an in…

verb

To damage a computer's software or data with a harmful program that has been passed from another computer

Usage examples:

Be infected by/with sth the hackers hijacked personal computers that had been previously infected b…

verb

Contaminate (water, the air, etc.) with harmful or poisonous substances.

Usage examples:

The explosion polluted the town with dioxin

Contaminate; make impure

verb

To make air, water, or earth dirty or harmful to people, animals, and plants, esp. by adding harmful chemicals or waste

Usage examples:

Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are polluting the groundwater., maybe there’s some kind of chem…

adjective

Not relating to that which is sacred or religious; secular.

Usage examples:

A talk that tackled topics both sacred and profane

verb

Treat (something sacred) with irreverence or disrespect.

Usage examples:

It was a serious matter to profane a tomb

adjective

(esp. of words) offensive because of not respecting religion, or offensive because of being rude

Usage examples:

Profane language, his letter is too profane to print, but it is very funny, too.

verb

Deliberately destroy or damage (public or private property).

Usage examples:

Stations have been vandalized beyond recognition

verb

To intentionally damage property belonging to other people

Usage examples:

When i got back, my car had been vandalized., bored teenagers went around vandalizing phoneboxes.

verb

Break or fail to comply with (a rule or formal agreement).

Usage examples:

They violated the terms of a ceasefire

verb

Fail to agree with; go against

verb

To break or act against something such as a law, agreement, or principle, or to not respect something that should be treated with respect

Usage examples:

The planes appear to have deliberately violated the cease-fire agreement., questions of this kind v…