to violate
1
6.1
- verb
- /ˈvaɪəˌleɪt/
:
saquear
- The storm violated the peaceful landscape, uprooting trees and tossing debris around.
Examples
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The soldiers violated the village, destroying homes and stealing supplies.
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What reason is there to build a pyramid to hold a tomb if the tomb may be violated?
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Then the ghouls violated the tomb.
Fiction book (2001) -
When the Ostrogoths and Vandals sacked Rome, they violated the catacombs, searching for valuables.
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When the invaders violated the ancient temple, they left behind destruction and chaos.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Damage something so badly that it cannot be used or fixed
48
5.1
Take away someone's possessions, rights, or honours
43
9.6
To violently damage a place and take its goods
26
6.0
To steal things by force, often during war or disorder
2
7.6
To attack a place and take valuable things, often destroying it
2
9.3
Steal valuable things and damage a place or person, often by force
To take things and damage a place using force, often by people
To take someone's land or property away illegally
To steal something from someone often by force
Antonyms
How Destructive
Surface Forms
Morphology
violate = violence (semi-transparent) = viol + ate
The sense 'destroy and strip by force' matches the idea of violent action but is a more specific, context-dependent usage.
Etymology
Violate comes from the Latin verb violare, meaning 'to use force', and it is related to the words violent and violence. So, when used about a place or thing, to violate it is to destroy or strip it by force, leaving it damaged or empty.