1
as in to ruin
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
they practically destroyed the safe in order to get at the money inside their poor scores on the final exam destroyed any chance they might have had to pass the course
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to ravage
to bring destruction to (something) through violent action
wildfires destroyed thousands of acres in forests across the state
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to kill
to deprive of life
regrettably, the veterinarian was forced to destroy the injured horse
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of destroy
Your next movie night will be complete with this ’90s psychological thriller starring a vengeful nanny attempting to destroy a former boss’s life.
—
Emma Specter, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2025
Between 2018 and 2023, more than 41,000 structures in California were destroyed and 152 lives were lost in wildfires.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 19 Oct. 2025
An arson fire destroys the 43-year-old Globe Theatre on March 8 (the arsonist was never caught, but a firebug had set several blazes in the park that winter).
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Oct. 2025
Removing this debris prematurely can disrupt or destroy their life cycles.
—Chris McKeown, Cincinnati Enquirer, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for destroy
Emma Specter, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2025
Between 2018 and 2023, more than 41,000 structures in California were destroyed and 152 lives were lost in wildfires.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 19 Oct. 2025
An arson fire destroys the 43-year-old Globe Theatre on March 8 (the arsonist was never caught, but a firebug had set several blazes in the park that winter).
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Oct. 2025
Removing this debris prematurely can disrupt or destroy their life cycles.
—Chris McKeown, Cincinnati Enquirer, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for destroy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for destroy
Verb
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Drummond's proposals to the court to sharply limit litter's use as fertilizer would amount to a ban on the practice in the river's watershed; this and the cost of removing all litter from the watershed would ruin poultry growers throughout the region, defendants argue.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Oct. 2025
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In the end, the explorers destroyed themselves and their ships and ruined the lives of so many indigenous people after setting up colonies in places like Tierra del Fuego.—
Charlie Markbreiter,
Them.,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Wait until November to start feeding birds if bears and other wildlife tend to ravage your bird feeders.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
15 Oct. 2025
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Trump’s response to the reporter’s brief question about Wu and World Cup games in Boston lasted less than four minutes, with a chunk of his response referring to Los Angeles’ response to the devastating wildfires that ravaged Southern California earlier this year.—
Melanie Anzidei,
New York Times,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Four people were killed and another four were injured in two head-on collisions on Arkansas roads Friday and Saturday, according to preliminary police reports.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Oct. 2025
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Listeria infects 1,250 people in the United States each year, according to the CDC, and kills about 172.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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And often, that was exactly how forgeries were eventually demolished.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Oct. 2025
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On land, the current one- and two-story buildings will be demolished and replaced with 15,682 square feet of modern marina facilities spread across two, two-story buildings.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Though the large recall sent shockwaves through the EV space, many fans of the nameplate were left devastated because of its initial positive reception.—
Charles Singh,
Nashville Tennessean,
15 Oct. 2025
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Suspect arrest in deadly Palisades Fire The man accused of starting a fire that eventually became the deadly blaze that devastated the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles earlier this year has been indicted by a federal grand jury, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.—
Alex Stone,
ABC News,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Buckeyes and Ryan Day still need to slay the Michigan monster at the end of this book, and both have dates with a suddenly feisty UCLA.—
Erick Smith,
USA Today,
13 Oct. 2025
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But the classic dragon—reptilian, treasure-hoarding, and doomed to be slain—feels distinctly Indo-European.—
Manvir Singh,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Tessa Ia leads the series as Valeria Goldberg, a young woman in a Jewish-Mexican community who makes a mistake that shatters her world and forces her into a desperate fight to find her missing children.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Oct. 2025
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When a prosperous farming family was murdered in their own home in cold blood for no reason at all by two young male ex-cons, the image of a neat, safe, mid-20th century rural American life was shattered.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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If the 12-point underdog Las Vegas Raiders somehow upset the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in Week 7 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, defensive end Maxx Crosby will have wrecked the game.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
17 Oct. 2025
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Six games into his fourth NFL season, Thibodeaux has flashed the game-wrecking potential that led to the Giants grabbing him in the top five of the of the 2022 draft.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Destroy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destroy. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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