destruction

play

noun de·struc·tion \ di-ˈstrək-shən \

Definition of destruction

1 :the state or fact of being destroyed :ruin

scenes of death and destruction

the destruction of their careers

2 :the action or process of destroying something

the destruction of the building

3 :a destroying agency

Alcohol will be his destruction.

See destruction defined for English-language learners

See destruction defined for kids

Examples of destruction in a Sentence

War results in death and widespread destruction.
We are trying to save the building from destruction.

Recent Examples of destruction from the Web

Complete destruction of some homes, especially mobile homes.

— seattle times staff, The Seattle Times, "How hurricane categories are measured by Saffir-Simpson scale," 26 Aug. 2017
James Gonzalo Medina, 41, was arrested in April of last year on a charge of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction against the Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center during Passover services.

— jay weaver, miamiherald, "For synagogue terror plot, Florida man inspired by ISIS faces 25 years in prison," 16 Aug. 2017
The detailed tactics and operations that will flesh out the concept are being refined daily, but in general distributive lethality seeks to widely disperse warships to put a potential enemy at risk of destruction from many different vessels.

— carl prine, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Navy's surface warfare boss urges smarter, tougher sailors for future sea battles," 15 Aug. 2017
For many centuries, that light show mostly seeded thoughts of disaster and destruction — something, or someone, sinister was putting on a show of power.

— sarah scoles, Discover Magazine, "Eclipse 2017: Mind Melt," 7 Aug. 2017
So does the new study finally put to bed the Bible’s story about the destruction of Canaan?

— lizzie wade, Science | AAAS, "Ancient DNA counters biblical account of the mysterious Canaanites," 27 July 2017
In 2015, two-thirds of unarmed people of any race killed by police had been in the process of committing violent crime or property destruction.

— nick selby, National Review, "Police Aren’t Targeting and Killing Black Men," 17 July 2017
Destruction is nothing new for Iraq, a country whose history is marred by cyclical conflict.

— igor kossov, The Atlantic, "'Mosul Is Completely Destroyed'," 10 July 2017
And San Diego County sustained more than roughly $850 million worth of property damage from the wildfire, part of roughly $2.6 billion in destruction attributed to outbreaks throughout Southern California that season.

— joshua emerson smith, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Are wildfires worsening due to development, climate change and controversial forest management?," 7 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of destruction

Middle English destruccioun, from Anglo-French destruction, from Latin destruction-, destructio, from destruere — see destroy

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

destruction Synonyms

Synonyms

annihilation, decimation, demolishment, demolition, desolation, devastation, extermination, extinction, havoc, loss, mincemeat, obliteration, ruin, ruination, wastage, wreckage

Antonyms

building, construction, erection, raising

Related Words

depredation, despoilment, despoliation; breakup, collapse, disintegration, dissolution; assassination, execution, killing, massacre, slaughter; dismantlement, effacement, eradication

Near Antonyms

rescue, salvage, salvation, saving; conservation, preservation, protection; reclamation, reconstruction, re-creation, refurbishment, regeneracy, remodeling, renovation, restoration

DESTRUCTION Defined for English Language Learners

destruction

play

noun

Definition of destruction for English Language Learners

: the act or process of damaging something so badly that it no longer exists or cannot be repaired : the act or process of destroying something

DESTRUCTION Defined for Kids

destruction

play

noun de·struc·tion \ di-ˈstrək-shən \

Definition of destruction for Students

1 :the act or process of killing, ruining, or putting an end to something

Destruction of the old building is underway.

2 :the state or fact of being killed, ruined, or brought to an end Destruction of the animal's habitat nearly caused its extinction.

Word Root of destruction

The Latin word struere, meaning “to build,” and its form structus give us the root struct. Words from the Latin struere have something to do with building. A structure is something that was built, such as a house. To construct is to build by combining parts together. To obstruct is to build an obstacle that blocks a passage or path. Destruction is the process of taking apart something that was built.