lay (something) to waste

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lay (something) to waste

To destroy or ruin something completely or utterly. The fire laid an entire block of houses to waste in a matter of hours. The plundering army assembled and made ready to lay the kingdom to waste.
See also: lay, waste

lay something to waste

 and lay waste to something
Fig. to destroy something; to ruin or mess up something. The invaders laid the village to waste. The kids came in and laid waste to my clean house.
See also: lay, waste
References in periodicals archive ?
A NUMBER of bullion traders and hawala operators are offering parallel platforms for hoarders of black money to park their unaccounted wealth, laying to waste the country's historic clampdown on tax cheats, an India Today investigation has found.
GOLD IS THE NEW BLACK
The laying to waste of Everton Valley must be one of the most depressing examples of this civic vandalism.
Civic vandalism; emails &letters
4- The repatriation of the IDPs should run concurrently with the issue of cattle laying to waste crops.
Open letter to Eastern Equatoria Governor from Ma'di Community
Frank's sheer lethal coolness is nicely established in first five minutes, when he removes his freshly dry-cleaned suit jacket before laying to waste a quartet of formidable would-be car-jackers.
The Transporter 2
He pursues this by laying to waste and sacrifice all that is needed to achieve it.The cost is high, and let me just say fans will be heartbroken a lot by the end of this movie.
THE REEL: It's been a long wait but Avengers Infinity War is finally here
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