self-destruct

verb

self-de·​struct ˌself-di-ˈstrəkt How to pronounce self-destruct (audio)
self-destructed; self-destructing; self-destructs

intransitive verb

: to destroy oneself or itself
self-destruct adjective

Examples of self-destruct in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The radical outliers self-destruct during the high jinks (they get arrested or killed), but most people exhaust themselves and are happy to return to their workweek lives. Chuck Palahniuk, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025 Today’s software needs to prevent problems from happening, not proliferate them or self-destruct. Laura Crabtree, Fortune, 12 Nov. 2025 If the cell quickly self-destructs, that will prevent the virus from spreading throughout the body. Viviane Callier, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2025 Halfmann found it a bit unsettling to think that so many cells carry these self-destruct buttons just waiting to be pushed. Jon Hamilton, NPR, 16 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for self-destruct

Word History

First Known Use

1968, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-destruct was in 1968

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Cite this Entry

“Self-destruct.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-destruct. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.

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