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Definitions

desecrate

[des-i-krayt] / ˈdɛs ɪˌkreɪt /


Example Sentences

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“Excessively entertainment-oriented portrayals desecrate the nation’s suffering and disrespect the people who made sacrifices,” read a recent commentary published in the state-run Economic Daily newspaper.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2025

DunKley said Harvard’s refusal to take full responsibility has done more to desecrate the donation process than those who allegedly stole body parts.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 13, 2024

“We can’t just take, defile and desecrate someone’s body without consent,” Numa says.

From Salon ● Jan. 23, 2024

“The removal will desecrate, damage, and likely destroy the Memorial longstanding at ANC as a grave marker and impede the Memorial’s eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places,” the lawsuit accuses.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 18, 2023

She said “friend" in English; the tame word parents used because they could not desecrate their tongues with “boyfriend," even though it was exactly what they meant: somebody romantic, a marriage prospect.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

“The theft of items, potential family heirlooms and sentimental pieces from the deceased, not only violates this trust but desecrates the memory of a loved one,” Gascón said in a statement.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2023

The confessional solo is a hallowed form downtown; Berlant desecrates it from every side.

From New York Times ● Sep. 7, 2022

Electronic advertising desecrates the bridges, but boringly so, and outside the window of Owen’s Roosevelt Island apartment, a neon ad for Oral-B alternates with one for Jolly Rancher.

From The New Yorker ● Sep. 21, 2018

Mr. Khan had filed a brief in the case with a stark personal appeal to the court, saying Mr. Trump’s policy desecrates the memory of his son, U.S.

From Washington Times ● May 17, 2018

Why—he desecrates the conception of Heaven with workmen, artists, inventors, musicians—anything but angels.

From Fifty Contemporary One-Act Plays by Various

In 2013, attackers desecrated a Protestant cemetery in Jerusalem.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

But tech titan Elon Musk has taken to X on multiple occasions to criticize the film, which in his opinion "desecrated" the story.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

I regretted being honest, because in the moment, it felt as though honesty had desecrated the connection Allen and I were building.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 28, 2025

In a London auditorium, a work of art is being desecrated.

From New York Times ● Mar. 26, 2024

It is comforting to discover that I am not, after all, the only Judas to have been interned behind these desecrated hotel walls.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein

The practice has alarmed de la Espriella’s political opponents and human-rights groups, who accuse him of displaying the dead as trophies and violating international rules that prohibit desecrating those killed in operations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

A US Supreme Court decision has ruled that burning the US national flag is protected under the First Amendment, invalidating state laws against desecrating the Stars and Stripes.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

That finding strengthened the case against the cemetery workers, who were ultimately convicted in 2015 of desecrating human remains.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 6, 2026

A hospitalman at the former Naval Hospital in Chelsea, Mass., was charged with, among other things, desecrating the flag by blowing his nose on one.

From Salon ● Apr. 6, 2025

And Doroteo said, “I feel like I’d be desecrating the flag.”

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez


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