Dilapidate
adj, verb ·4 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 To cause to become ruined or put into disrepair. transitive
"If the bishop, parson, or vicar, etc., dilapidates the buildings, or cuts down the timber of the patrimony[…]"
- 2 fall into decay or ruin wordnet
- 3 To squander or waste. figuratively, transitive
"The patrimony of the bishopric of Oxon was much dilapidated."
- 4 bring into a condition of decay or partial ruin by neglect or misuse wordnet
- 5 To fall into ruin or disuse. archaic, intransitive
- 1 dilapidated archaic, obsolete
Example
More examples"If the bishop, parson, or vicar, etc., dilapidates the buildings, or cuts down the timber of the patrimony[…]"
Etymology
From Latin dilapidō (“to scatter, consume, throw away”) + -ate (verb-forming suffix), from dis- (“asunder”) + lapidō (“to stone”), from lapis (“stone”). Compare French dilapider.
Learned borrowing from Latin dīlapidātus, perfect passive participle of dilapidō (“squander, consume, throw away”), see Etymology 1 and -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.