destroy

verb

de·​stroy di-ˈstrȯi 

dē-

destroyed; destroying; destroys

transitive verb

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

d

informal : to defeat soundly

destroyed the other team 10-1

intransitive verb

: to cause ruin or destruction

It is proverbially easier to destroy than to construct …

—T. S. Eliot

Synonyms of destroy

• ruin
• demolish
• devastate
• shatter
• wreck
• smash
• overcome

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

Twenty-four centuries later, Jonathan Franzen destroyed his laptop’s Ethernet port so he wouldn’t be tempted to go online. — Meghan O’Gieblyn, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

But a character like Zoe is willing to destroy everything, including her family, to keep power. — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Some are ideologues such as Bannon and Beattie, people who believe that Western civilization is being destroyed by racial diversity, secularism, and the commitment to human rights. — Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026

Dozens of American aircraft and drones also were destroyed or damaged. — Ben Finley, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2026

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

Rhymes for destroy

• ahoy
• alloy
• annoy
• carboy
• convoy
• cowboy
• decoy
• deploy
• employ
• employe
• enjoy
• kilroy

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