desecrate
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++des·e·crate /ˈdesɪkreɪt/ verb [transitive] DAMAGEto spoil or damage something holy or respected 亵渎〔圣物等〕► see thesaurus at damage —desecration /ˌdesɪˈkreɪʃən/ noun [uncountable]→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
desecrate• It is then that the atmosphere of peace becomes tinged with a sense of sadness at such a loss ... beauty desecrated.• Kelly's grave was also desecrated.• Most of the Egyptian tombs were desecrated and robbed.• The church had been desecrated by vandals.• Yet he hated to think of Wheeler, who represented everything bogus and hollow, desecrating his beloved church.• Other new signs posted to describe scenery have been desecrated or struck down.• Three skinheads admitted desecrating over 100 graves.• Never mind that he desecrated their spirit.Origin desecrate (1600-1700) de- + consecratedes·e·crate verbChineseSyllable
respected damage holy or spoil Corpus to or something
desecrate
des‧e‧crate /ˈdesɪkreɪt/
verb [transitive]
—desecration /ˌdesɪˈkreɪʃən/ noun [uncountable]
▪ damage to cause physical harm to something or someone, or have a bad effect on them: Several buildings were damaged by the earthquake. | The other car wasn’t damaged. | The scandal could damage his career.
▪harm to have a bad effect on something: They use chemicals that will harm the environment. | The oil crisis could harm the economy.
▪spoil to have a bad effect on something and make it less successful, enjoyable, useful etc: We didn’t let the rain spoil our holiday. | Local people say the new buildings will spoil the view.
▪vandalize to deliberately damage buildings, vehicles, or public property: All the public telephones in the area had been vandalized.
▪sabotage /ˈsæbətɑːʒ/ to secretly damage machines or equipment so that they cannot be used, especially in order to harm an enemy: There is evidence that the airplane was sabotaged.
▪tamper with something to deliberately and illegally damage or change a part of something in order to prevent it from working properly: The car’s brakes had been tampered with.
▪desecrate to damage a church or other holy place: The church had been desecrated by vandals.
▪deface /dɪˈfeɪs/ to deliberately spoil the appearance of something by writing on it, spraying paint on it etc: Someone had defaced the statue and painted it bright orange.
des‧e‧crate /ˈdesɪkreɪt/
verb [transitive] Date: 1600-1700
Origin: de- + consecrate
to spoil or damage something holy or respectedOrigin: de- + consecrate
—desecration /ˌdesɪˈkreɪʃən/ noun [uncountable]
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