lay waste to something

lay waste to (something)

To destroy or ruin something. The fire laid waste to an entire block of houses. The plundering army assembled and made ready to lay waste to the kingdom.

See also: lay, to, waste

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

lay waste to something

If something lays waste to something, it completely destroys it. The disease itself spread like wildfire, laying waste to whole communities in a matter of days. People's rush to the countryside to escape the civil war has laid waste to most of its forest and grassland.

See also: lay, something, to, waste

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012