destroyed; destroying; destroys
1
: to ruin the structure, organic existence, or condition of : damage beyond repair
destroyed the files
Their reputation was destroyed.
A disease that destroys the body's ability to fight off illness.
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
d
informal
: to defeat soundly
destroyed the other team 10-1
: 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
Apparently the place was absolutely destroyed and smelled like actual hell.
—Nicki Cox, PEOPLE, 22 Dec. 2025
Palestinian officials said settlers burned cars, desecrated mosques, ransacked industrial plants and destroyed cropland.
—CBS News, 21 Dec. 2025
When their astronomers forecast that a great catastrophe would destroy all life on Earth millions of years ago, the Sea Devils put themselves into hibernation.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 21 Dec. 2025
The membranes also allow biofilms to be transferred between culture media, unlike traditional agar, which destroys patterns when moved.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for destroy
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Nicki Cox, PEOPLE, 22 Dec. 2025
Palestinian officials said settlers burned cars, desecrated mosques, ransacked industrial plants and destroyed cropland.
—CBS News, 21 Dec. 2025
When their astronomers forecast that a great catastrophe would destroy all life on Earth millions of years ago, the Sea Devils put themselves into hibernation.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 21 Dec. 2025
The membranes also allow biofilms to be transferred between culture media, unlike traditional agar, which destroys patterns when moved.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 21 Dec. 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 24 Dec. 2025.
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