destroyed 1 of 2

destroyed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of destroy
1
as in demolished
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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of destroyed
Verb
Residents of one village in the Gironde region of France returned to find their homes charred and destroyed by the wildfire which has ripped through them. Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 26 July 2026 Yet with a lack of funds, officials halted further work, leaving the stands partially destroyed and deserted. Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 25 July 2026 The main Gironde fire has burned through 32,700 hectares, roughly three times the size of Paris, and 140 houses have been destroyed, according to an update from local officials. Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 25 July 2026 Joshua survived the opening flurry from the upstart Albanian, regained his form in the second frame and destroyed Prenga in the second frame. Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026 And abundance, not incompetence, is what destroyed its price. François Candelon, Fortune, 24 July 2026 Cal Fire officials reported the wildfire destroyed 713 homes, businesses and other buildings while damaging 57 others. Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026 In Georgia numerous homes were damaged or destroyed in Seminole and Dougherty counties, with Seminole county reporting damage to nearly all residences and Dougherty county reporting the destruction of 49 of the 3,000 homes that were damaged. Laura Payne, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 July 2026 The 1951 Flood claimed lives, destroyed homes and businesses, and scattered one of Kansas City’s largest Hispanic communities. Michelle Oliva-Espinosa, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for destroyed
Adjective
  • Sitting on the rim of his consciousness was always cataclysm, the muted whisper of a ruined world.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
Verb
  • Audemard said two-thirds of those buildings collapsed, and everything in the complex will need to be demolished.
    Syra Ortiz-Blanes, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026
  • The Rike Concert Hall in Tbilisi, Georgia, is set to be demolished.
    News Desk, Artforum, 21 July 2026
Verb
  • This new Ebola outbreak is occurring in an area that a large Zaire ebolavirus outbreak — the second largest on record — ravaged in 2018 through 2020.
    Helen Branswell, STAT, 22 July 2026
  • Although the speech part of her brain was ravaged, the music area remains intact, Kelly told me.
    Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
Verb
  • Though the World Cup avoided issues with ICE raids at stadiums, the agency this summer has been responsible for shootings that killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston and Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine.
    Barry Svrluga, New York Times, 24 July 2026
  • The state, then called Vargas, had another natural disaster in 1999, when landslides killed thousands.
    Syra Ortiz-Blanes, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026
Adjective
  • The second flood has left behind more than wrecked homes, reopening trauma wounds for many survivors.
    Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
  • After losing his job at a tech company, a 33-year-old Tehran resident who also joined the January protests said his main concern was the wrecked economy, where unemployment and prices have surged.
    ABC News, ABC News, 9 July 2026
Verb
  • Ashley’s leg was shattered and the couple’s daughter was in a neck brace for months.
    Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 25 July 2026
  • If this tissue is shattered, all of the microbes inside of it spread into the water and change the nutrient composition.
    Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 23 July 2026
Verb
  • The clinics are stocked with medical supplies and generators to help restore healthcare in communities devastated by the earthquakes.
    Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 22 July 2026
  • The fire in rural Guadalajara comes less than two weeks after a deadly blaze devastated a small expat community in southern Spain.
    ABC News, ABC News, 22 July 2026
Adjective
  • While sporting a bare look is often the best way to help damaged nails, already frail nails can be more susceptible to breaking without a layer of protective polish.
    Alexis Berger, InStyle, 25 July 2026
  • Dry hair will feel rough and look dull, while damaged hair will feel weak, brittle, and often break.
    Dominic Cadogan, Glamour, 25 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Destroyed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destroyed. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

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