destroyed; destroying; destroys
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
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
Stephen W. Larose
: to cause ruin or destruction
It is proverbially easier to destroy than to construct …—T. S. Eliot
T. S. EliotExamples 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
In September 2024, the same month as the pager attack and assassination of Hezbollah’s leader, Israel launched the most extensive campaign of airstrikes in the air force’s history hitherto, destroying much of Hezbollah’s strategic surface-to-surface missile stockpiles.
—Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
As rumors swirl and her life collapses, Eva faces a choice: protect herself or expose Amir’s secret and risk destroying him.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 30 June 2025
In Alzheimer’s disease, abnormal chemical changes cause the protein tau to stick to other tau molecules, which eventually form the hallmark toxic tangles that destroy neurons and the connections, or synapses, between them.
—New Atlas, 30 June 2025
Grossi acknowledged that some of the uranium already enriched by Iranian scientists could have been destroyed as part of the attack.
—John Bacon, USA Today, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for destroy
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Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
As rumors swirl and her life collapses, Eva faces a choice: protect herself or expose Amir’s secret and risk destroying him.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 30 June 2025
In Alzheimer’s disease, abnormal chemical changes cause the protein tau to stick to other tau molecules, which eventually form the hallmark toxic tangles that destroy neurons and the connections, or synapses, between them.
—New Atlas, 30 June 2025
Grossi acknowledged that some of the uranium already enriched by Iranian scientists could have been destroyed as part of the attack.
—John Bacon, USA Today, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for destroy
Cite this Entry
“Destroy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/destroy. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
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