1. [verb] To ruin many or all things over a large area, such as most or all buildings of a city, or cities of a region, or trees of a forest.
2. [verb] To destroy a whole collection of related ideas, beliefs, and strongly held opinions.
3. [verb] To break beyond recovery or repair so that the only options are abandonment or the clearing away of useless remains (if any) and starting over.
4. [verb] Cause extensive destruction or ruin utterly; 'The enemy lay waste to the countryside after the invasion'.
5. [verb] Overwhelm or overpower; 'He was devastated by his grief when his son died'.
