destroyed 1 of 2

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3

destroyed

2 of 2

adjective

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
Adjective
Police and army inspect damage to a house destroyed by debris from a shot down Russian drone in the village of Wyryki-Wola, eastern Poland, on September 10, 2025. Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2025 Archaeologists believe the castle was either dismantled due to structural issues or destroyed by enemies. Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2025 In 2015, the Basateen al-Razi district of Damascus was destroyed as punishment for the population’s uprising against Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2025 Atoms cannot be divided, created, or destroyed. Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 30 Sep. 2025 Branches went through a massive fire that destroyed its building and a new playground in 2010. Christina Mayo, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025 Kaka destroyed us with his pace. James Pearce, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025 As authorities investigated, Jennifer Myers and Benjamin Myers accessed information on the investigation through government computers and notified Jeremy Amburn, leading to evidence being destroyed, according to the sheriff’s office. Julia Marnin, Charlotte Observer, 30 Sep. 2025 Historical records and eyewitness accounts state that an explosion and fire destroyed the ship while it was anchored off the Swedish town of Ronneby. Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for destroyed
Verb
  • All the problems getting into the ground ruined the trip a bit.
    James Pearce, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
  • In 1950s Washington, the moral entrepreneurs were members of Congress and expert witnesses who labeled people Soviet collaborators and ruined many of their lives.
    Ron Barrett, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Loving County can be a shocking place to visit for an outsider, a vast terrain ravaged by elements and industry, a landscape and atmosphere somewhere between Mad Max and No Country for Old Men.
    Mitch Moxley, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025
  • Asheville was one of several western North Carolina towns ravaged by the destructive force of Hurricane Helene, which damaged structures and upended lives in September 2024.
    Kendrick Marshall, Charlotte Observer, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The topic of free speech, particularly on college campuses, made recent headlines after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed during an event at Utah State University.
    Hannah Pinski, Louisville Courier Journal, 2 Oct. 2025
  • According to News4 San Antonio, four people inside the home were injured in the shooting along with Marble, who was killed.
    Peter D'Abrosca, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The strikes Saturday morning demolished a house in Gaza City's Tufah neighborhood, killing at least 11 people, more than half of them women and children, according to Al-Ahly Hospital, where the bodies were brought.
    WAFAA SHURAFA, Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2025
  • Of the 27 homes on their street in the Rollins neighborhood, 25 were either destroyed, demolished or suffered extensive damage that left them unlivable until they could be gutted and rebuilt, Heath said.
    Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • That includes the burn zone of the Eaton Fire, which destroyed more than 6,000 homes and devastated the community of Altadena.
    Bloomberg, Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Her journey has brought her to Cloonboo, a town devastated by the Great Famine that ravaged the land between 1845 and 1852.
    Keith Phipps, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The wrecked streetcar is colored yellow and white and was named the Elevador da Gloria.
    Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 4 Sep. 2025
  • He was found in Laughry Creek near the wrecked SUV and was dressed in only his underwear, the prosecutor said.
    Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer, 18 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Pine, Colorado — As massive granite outcroppings dotted with evergreen trees jutted skyward from the landscape of Colorado’s Southern Rockies on a warm Tuesday morning, the serenity of bird calls and a babbling creek was shattered by a radio call from a park ranger in distress.
    Andi Babineau, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
  • There’s really never been a performance like the one Joaquin Phoenix gives as Freddie Quell, a Navy vet who emerges from the war shattered and strange but who may have always been that way.
    Alison Willmore, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • As explained, lost or damaged books will be charged at the market value to the borrower.
    DeMicia Inman, VIBE.com, 29 Sep. 2025
  • This quality opens the door to creating implants that can be crafted to fit damaged sections of the bones perfectly.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Destroyed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destroyed. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.

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