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
The Russian Defense Ministry on Friday said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed 629 Ukrainian drones overnight over 14 Russian regions, as well as illegally annexed Crimea and the Azov and the Black seas. Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026 In the course of three weeks, Israeli soldiers destroyed much of the area, razing schools and mosques and commandeering buildings for use as military posts. Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026 Mahasen Fakih had been displaced to the Chouf region and returned to Zawtar a few days ago, and returned to find her home destroyed. Diego Ibarra Sánchez, NPR, 19 Sep. 2026 People are logically panicked about their jobs being replaced by machines, just like the men who destroyed factories and left notes from the fictional Ned Ludd, thereby launching the Luddite movement. Pat Gelsinger, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2026 Another Russian drone attack destroyed a shopping complex in Zaporizhzhia, injuring one person and triggering a fire, the emergency service said. Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026 The unit – cobbled together from pilots without units – shot down or destroyed more than 200 Japanese planes from August 1943 to January 1944. Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2026 In the Boryspil district, a fire sparked by a strike partially destroyed a nine-story residential building. ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026 Hassouna soon cuts to the aftermath of warning strikes that have destroyed 12 houses near the Shujaiya quarter of Gaza City. Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 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
  • The administration demolished the East Wing of the White House and is replacing it with a massive ballroom.
    ABC News, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • He’s demolished the East Wing of the White House and is replacing it with a ballroom and plans to build a triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery.
    Steven Sloan, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Impressive given the situation Expectations weren’t particularly high for Iowa State — which saw its roster ravaged in the offseason — and Jimmy Rogers.
    Antonio Morales, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Mandel's futuristic story of a world ravaged by a lethal flu virus was already a bestseller and National Book Award finalist six years before the coronavirus pandemic gave it the unwanted status of prophecy.
    ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Some earlier assassins expected it of themselves, canceling plots that would have killed bystanders.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • In Georgia, the execution of a man who killed two real estate agents had also been scheduled for Wednesday but was halted by a judge's late-night decision a day before he was scheduled to die.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Police and firefighters responding to the area discovered the wrecked vehicle along the hillside.
    Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Hundreds of clay jars known as amphorae were discovered inside the wrecked ship, alongside lead anchor stocks and other artifacts, police said.
    Isabella Colletta, NBC news, 10 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • In the mountains on the North Carolina-Tennessee border, rains of up to 30 inches (76 centimeters) turned usually gentle streams into torrents that moved trees, boulders, homes and vehicles, and shattered century-old flood records.
    ABC News, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • An officer allegedly saw fresh footprints in the snow leading to the back door and a glass pane that had been shattered.
    Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The remains were found near Crystal Rapid, about 10 miles downstream from Phantom Ranch, one of the areas devastated by the August 29 deadly flash flood that washed out footbridges and campgrounds.
    Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Nearly two years after Hurricane Helene devastated parts of the Southeast, authorities have identified the remains of a Tennessee woman who had been missing since the storm.
    Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • In July 2025, the EPA entered into an agreement with Vistra to remove damaged batteries from its property.
    Tim Fang, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026
  • In the port city of Odesa, one person was killed in a Russian attack that sparked a fire at garages and damaged vehicles and private homes, Serhii Lysak, head of the city’s military administration, wrote on Telegram Wednesday.
    Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Destroyed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destroyed. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

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