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 Pakistani Information Ministry rejected a claim by Afghanistan's Defense Ministry that Afghanistan had destroyed a Pakistani post near the southern Afghan border town of Spin Boldak, opposite the Pakistani city of Chaman. — Munir Ahmed, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026 Saudi Arabia said earlier this month that its air defenses destroyed a Houthi drone headed for the holy city of Mecca, a claim the group denied. — Azhar Sukri, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2026 Co-created by Craig Mazin and the game’s Neil Druckmann, The Last of Us, based on the award-winning Naughty Dog video game, takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed. — Denise Petski, Deadline, 26 Sep. 2026 Nearly 33,000 people have been affected, and about 7,500 homes were damaged or destroyed. — ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026 In that time, Gundlach Bundschu has survived a major pest outbreak, the San Francisco earthquake and fire, which destroyed one million gallons of wine and Prohibition. — Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026 However, our neighborhood turned into the focus of news outlets, as nearly all of the houses situated on the ridge around 260 acres of grass and trees were destroyed, except for the six of us at the top. — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 25 Sep. 2026 Even as his cameras are repeatedly damaged or destroyed, Burnat refuses to stop documenting the resistance. — Drew Paul, The Conversation, 25 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
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 block that houses Monarch Donuts will soon be demolished as construction starts on a new retail and residential development called the Arcadia Town Center.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Part of the former Bob Jones Shoes building in the Crossroads could be demolished.
    — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 20 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Many came from Lee County, which is both where the book is set and one of the counties most ravaged by the opioid epidemic.
    — Casey Cep, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
  • This was a big deal; years earlier, Zespri had specifically created the sweeter golden kiwifruit to be resistant to a disease that had ravaged kiwifruit orchards around the world.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The United Nations said last week that more Ukrainian civilians were killed and wounded in the first eight months of 2026 than in the whole of last year.
    — HANNA ARHIROVA, Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2026
  • This Uhura manages to make an emergency transport back to Enterprise, but Scotty is killed.
    — Joe Otterson, Variety, 24 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
  • Sitting by the defense table in a wheelchair during Wednesday’s proceedings, Weinstein looked straight ahead as Haley, 49, told the court in tears that her self-esteem had been shattered by the attack and by having to relive it repeatedly.
    — Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Zhu has lived in four tech houses, and her view of them as utopic spaces for entrepreneurs was shattered by her experience.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 23 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The region was also among those most severely affected by the February 2023 earthquakes that devastated southern Turkey and northern Syria.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The horrors for women and girls are prevalent everywhere, Theron said, but her native South Africa is particularly devastated by it.
    — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 21 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • The drones set off fires and damaged buildings in Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine overnight, authorities said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Finally, don’t use disinfecting wipes on raw wood or furniture with an uneven or damaged finish.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 23 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Destroyed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destroyed. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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