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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of destroy
Emma Stone plays Michelle Fuller, the powerful leader of pharmaceutical company Auxolith, who gets kidnapped by Teddy (Jesse Plemons), a conspiracy theorist convinced Michelle is really an Andromedan — an extraterrestrial sent to Earth to destroy it.
—
Ew Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Teddy is convinced that their kind is planning to destroy the planet, and that Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone), the CEO of a major pharmaceutical company, is an alien central to their scheme.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
Armacham is trying to destroy the facility, hide all traces.
—Will Borger, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025
Unless this is another ploy by women who are intent on destroying each other.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for destroy
Ew Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Teddy is convinced that their kind is planning to destroy the planet, and that Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone), the CEO of a major pharmaceutical company, is an alien central to their scheme.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
Armacham is trying to destroy the facility, hide all traces.
—Will Borger, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025
Unless this is another ploy by women who are intent on destroying each other.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for destroy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for destroy
Verb
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That’s why his mistress threw in with Frank to intimidate Dale into a land deal that would have ruined any chance of Chutto’s family ever getting their land back.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
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Because when those premiums go up by 100, 200%, people’s lives are ruined.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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For the second year in a row, San Francisco has been ravaged by injuries to key players, especially on the defensive side of the football.—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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The avalanche ravaged the base camp, which is located at an altitude of 4,900 meters, or 16,070 feet.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Over the course of four months in 1956-57, Israeli forces killed as many as 1,500 Palestinians in Gaza.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
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Listeria infects about 1,250 people in the United States each year, according to the CDC, and kills about 172.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Trump exposed a 'loophole' to demolish the White House East Wing.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
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The ballroom project has stirred controversy, as the East Wing, home of the First Lady’s staff and long a grand entrance for White House events, was demolished to make room for the new ballroom.—
Kate Wolffe
October 30,
Sacbee.com,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Last year’s devastating drought in the Amazon Basin was made 30 times more likely by climate change, according to a report from World Weather Attribution, a network of scientists that analyze extreme weather events.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
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Earlier this year, California’s devastating Eaton Fire destroyed much of Altadena, a diverse, creative community just north of Pasadena.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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But Kwei, in the first display of mercy or kindness that Dek has ever seen, refuses to slay his own brother.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
4 Nov. 2025
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Desperate to prove his mettle, Dek seeks out a terrifying creature of Yautja lore, determined to be the first of his kind to slay it.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Even if a dish is marked safe for use in the oven, if heated beyond a certain temperature, or if a broil setting is used, glass can shatter.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
31 Oct. 2025
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The strength to sit with what shattered before building what’s next.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Storm preparations Cuba has been struck almost yearly by a major hurricane in recent years, sometimes twice, wrecking the country’s already decrepit infrastructure, damaging crops and destroying thousands of homes in precarious condition.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
27 Oct. 2025
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In 1816 the stratosphere was saturated with Tambora’s dust, and sea ice nearly wrecked Scoresby’s ship off the eastern coast of Greenland.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Destroy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destroy. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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