destroyer

noun de·stroy·er \ di-ˈstrȯi(-ə)r , dē- \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of destroyer

1 : one that destroys

2 : a small fast warship used especially to support larger vessels and usually armed with guns, depth charges, torpedoes, and often guided missiles

See destroyer defined for English-language learners

See destroyer defined for kids

Examples of destroyer in a Sentence

The pamphlet describes alcohol as a destroyer of families.

Recent Examples of destroyer from the Web

There are believed to be three other destroyers and two submarines in the Mediterranean, as well, the Times reports.

— kate samuelson, Time, "The Biggest U.S. Navy Force Since Iraq Invasion May Be Sailing Toward Syria," 13 Apr. 2018
And there’s the money shot again: The Millennium Falcon up against a giant imperial star destroyer coming out of a space cloud.

— richard tribou, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Disney releases new trailer for 'Solo: A Star Wars Story'," 9 Apr. 2018
Officials had planned for a submarine and a destroyer to be part of the event, but the Navy had to reassign them.

— larry barszewski, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Fort Lauderdale Fleet Week: Sign-ups to tour Navy ships start Wednesday," 2 Apr. 2018
Argentina’s Navy releases another video reportedly shot from the destroyer ARA Sarandí that shows the poor weather conditions during the search and rescue operations of the submarine ARA San Juan.

— vanesa brashier, Houston Chronicle, "Cleveland ISD Chief: Door stoppers could save lives in active shooter scenarios," 31 Mar. 2018
The rest include the carrier Liaoning, visiting from the Northern Theater Navy, and her escorts, which probably include at least two destroyers, a replenishment ship, and possibly a submarine.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Satellite Photos Reveal Gigantic Chinese Fleet of More Than 40 Ships," 29 Mar. 2018
The firm and its president have since become notorious as a destroyer of newspapers.

— joe nocera, chicagotribune.com, "Alden Global's president shows what would have happened if Gordon Gekko bought newspapers," 27 Mar. 2018
Jared Burks, 24, who was stationed on the missile destroyer USS Mustin in the Navy, was the first veteran to complete devCodeCamp last fall.

— meg jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Ex-soldiers enlist in 'boot camp' again — this time, to learn software coding," 23 Mar. 2018
The military forces behind Operation MO included an armada of destroyers, cruisers, aircraft carriers and submarines.

— kristine phillips, Washington Post, "A WWII aircraft carrier was lost in the battle for Australia. A tech billionaire just found it.," 6 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'destroyer.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of destroyer

14th century

DESTROYER Defined for English Language Learners

destroyer

noun

Definition of destroyer for English Language Learners

: a small and fast military ship that protects bigger ships
: something that causes the destruction of something

DESTROYER Defined for Kids

destroyer

noun de·stroy·er \ di-ˈstrȯi-ər \

Definition of destroyer for Students

1 : someone or something that ruins or ends something

2 : a small fast warship armed with guns, torpedoes, and sometimes missiles

Learn More about destroyer

See words that rhyme with destroyer Spanish Central: Translation of destroyer Nglish: Translation of destroyer for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of destroyer for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about destroyer

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destroyer

Definition of destroyer

Examples of destroyer in a Sentence

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First Known Use of destroyer

DESTROYER Defined for English Language Learners

destroyer

Definition of destroyer for English Language Learners

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destroyer

Definition of destroyer for Students

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