destruction

noun

de·​struc·​tion di-ˈstrək-shən 

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.

Synonyms of destruction

• devastation
• havoc
• demolition
• extinction
• loss
• extermination

Examples of destruction in a Sentence

War results in death and widespread destruction.

We are trying to save the building from destruction.

Recent Examples on the Web

What starts as a petty territorial conflict mutates into a spiralling cycle of retributions, escalating from passive-aggressive jabs to acts of destruction and ruin. —Udita Jhunjhunwala, Variety, 21 Nov. 2025

However, overfishing, pollution, habitat destruction and climate change are pushing marine ecosystems to the brink; overfishing is the most pressing of these threats. —Camila Cáceres, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025

This could ultimately help better understand the final state of these systems — the Type Ia supernova explosions that emerge from the overfeeding of the dead stars and usually result in the total destruction of the white dwarf. —Robert Lea, Space.com, 21 Nov. 2025

That includes burglary, murder, assault, rape and property destruction. —Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 20 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing destruction

• seed/seeds of one's own destruction
• self-destruction
• weapon of mass destruction
• weapons of mass destruction

Rhymes for destruction

• abduction
• adduction
• conduction
• construction
• deduction
• eduction
• induction
• instruction
• obstruction
• production
• reduction
• seduction

Kids Definition

destruction

noun

de·​struc·​tion di-ˈstrək-shən 

1

: the state or fact of being destroyed : ruin

2

: the action or process of destroying something