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
Quantum physics says information cannot be destroyed, yet black hole evaporation seems to suggest otherwise.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 9 May 2026
The fire completely destroyed a one-story, single-family home.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 9 May 2026
The homes of a third of the signers of the Declaration on Independence were destroyed by the British.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 9 May 2026
In the team's binary merger model, the compact object is close enough to its stellar companion to rip off its outer hydrogen layer without completely destroying the star.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for destroy
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Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 9 May 2026
The fire completely destroyed a one-story, single-family home.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 9 May 2026
The homes of a third of the signers of the Declaration on Independence were destroyed by the British.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 9 May 2026
In the team's binary merger model, the compact object is close enough to its stellar companion to rip off its outer hydrogen layer without completely destroying the star.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for destroy
Cite this Entry
“Destroy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/destroy. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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