destroying angel
noun
: any of several very poisonous pure white amanita mushrooms (such as Amanita verna or A. virosa) : death cap
Examples of destroying angel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Why people are mistakenly eating death cap mushrooms The three most deadly mushrooms in California include the death cap, destroying angel (Amanita ocreata) and deadly Galerina (Galerina marginata), according to the Bay Area Mycological Society.
—
Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
Heavy rain has caused death cap mushrooms, including the Western destroying angel mushroom — one of the deadliest fungi — to bloom.
—David Matthews, New York Daily News, 15 Jan. 2026
Recent heavy rains have caused death cap mushrooms to flourish in the wild, including one of the deadliest fungi, the Western destroying angel mushroom, according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 15 Jan. 2026
Park visitors should be particularly wary of death caps and western destroying angels, which contain amatoxins that can cause liver and kidney failure if consumed, the district said.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 10 Dec. 2025
Officials warned to also watch out for the destroying angel mushroom, which also grows in California.
—Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 6 Dec. 2025
However, unlike death cap mushrooms and destroying angels, many of the toxins found in Amanita muscaria are water-soluble and can be removed by parboiling them prior to cooking or by other means.
—Matt Kasson, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2025
Deadly mushrooms in Marin The most dangerous varieties found in Marin — for both dogs and people — are the death cap (Amanita phalloides) and destroying angel (Amanita ocreata).
—Julia Lamont, The Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
Heavy rain has caused death cap mushrooms, including the Western destroying angel mushroom — one of the deadliest fungi — to bloom.
—David Matthews, New York Daily News, 15 Jan. 2026
Recent heavy rains have caused death cap mushrooms to flourish in the wild, including one of the deadliest fungi, the Western destroying angel mushroom, according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 15 Jan. 2026
Park visitors should be particularly wary of death caps and western destroying angels, which contain amatoxins that can cause liver and kidney failure if consumed, the district said.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 10 Dec. 2025
Officials warned to also watch out for the destroying angel mushroom, which also grows in California.
—Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 6 Dec. 2025
However, unlike death cap mushrooms and destroying angels, many of the toxins found in Amanita muscaria are water-soluble and can be removed by parboiling them prior to cooking or by other means.
—Matt Kasson, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2025
Deadly mushrooms in Marin The most dangerous varieties found in Marin — for both dogs and people — are the death cap (Amanita phalloides) and destroying angel (Amanita ocreata).
—Julia Lamont, The Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Destroying angel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/destroying%20angel. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
destroying angel
noun
de·stroy·ing an·gel
di-ˌstrȯi(-i)ŋ-ˈān-jəl 
: any of several very poisonous pure white mushrooms of the genus Amanita (as A. verna, A. virosa, or A. ocreata)
also
: a death cap (A. phalloides) whether white or colored
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
