destroy

verb

de·​stroy di-ˈstrȯi 

dē-

destroyed; destroying; destroys

transitive verb

1

: to ruin the structure, organic existence, or condition of

destroyed the files

also : to ruin as if by tearing to shreds

their reputation was destroyed

a disease that destroys the body's ability to fight off illness

… destroyed any hope of a return to past crackdowns …

—George Brock

2

a

: to put out of existence : kill

destroy an injured horse

b

: neutralize

the moon destroys the light of the stars

c

: annihilate, vanquish

… marines have been trained to close with and destroy the enemy. That's what we do.

—Stephen W. Larose

intransitive verb

: to cause ruin or destruction

It is proverbially easier to destroy than to construct …

—T. S. Eliot

Synonyms

• annihilate
• cream
• decimate
• demolish
• desolate
• devastate
• do in
• extinguish
• nuke
• pull down
• pulverize
• raze
• rub out
• ruin
• shatter
• smash
• tear down
• total
• vaporize
• waste
• wrack
• wreck

Examples of destroy in a Sentence

Eventually our problems with money destroyed our marriage.

All the files were deliberately destroyed.

The disease destroys the body's ability to fight off illness.

The bomb blast destroyed the village.

The dog had to be destroyed since its owner could not prevent it from attacking people.

Recent Examples on the Web

The building contained various heavy equipment and cardboard and plastics to be recycled, all of which were destroyed in the fire. —Tracy Neal, arkansasonline.com, 17 Oct. 2024

In the final chaotic hours of the War, Soviet fighter-bombers attack a retreating German column in Glashütte, destroying the factory of a local watchmaker, A. Lange & Söhne. —Oren Hartov, Robb Report, 17 Oct. 2024

Many of the conspiracy theories in North Carolina have hovered over Chimney Rock, a small village that was essentially destroyed by the hurricane. —Jessica Pishko, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2024

The show had bigger plans, though, and, as the family was sent away to paint, their house was destroyed to make room for one much more decadent. —Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 16 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French destroy-, destrui-, stem of destrure, from Vulgar Latin *destrugere, alteration of Latin destruere, from de- + struere to build — more at structure

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

destroy

verb

de·​stroy di-ˈstrȯi 

1

: to put an end to : do away with : ruin

2

: kill entry 1 sense 1, slaughter