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
Both the rocket and the camera were destroyed after crashing into the Earth at a speed of about 340 miles per hour. — Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 24 Oct. 2026 Cities outside Paris have been hit hard by the unrest, including Limoges where a fire nearly destroyed the 19th-century city hall. — Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026 In June 2007 the Portuguese police chief reported that forensic clues were potentially destroyed because the crime scene was not properly secured. — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026 More tropical forest was destroyed in the late twentieth century than in any previous century, with roughly a sixth of the Amazon rainforest—an area the size of France—lost in just the past fifty years. — Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026 Nearly every piece of decor/furniture had been destroyed leaving glass and sharp items everywhere. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 23 Oct. 2026 But those plans were put on hold after a New Glenn rocket exploded in May during routine ground tests and destroyed the company’s Florida launch site. — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026 The two-story, Georgian stone building that was originally built around 1680 was destroyed by an earthquake in 1840 and was last restored in 1983. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026 Firefighters battling a blaze that destroyed six homes in south Orange County can expect a bit of reprieve Saturday afternoon as Santa Ana winds begin to die down. — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 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
  • Clare is now living with Wilcox; her home was demolished in the crash.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The Santa Maria Addolorata Church in West Town is being demolished to make way for six new homes.
    — Marissa Perlman, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • London had been ravaged by plague since the summer of 1592, with high mortality rates in the city and suburbs meaning the playhouses were closed for business for twenty of the following twenty-two months.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Swarms of police officers and ambulances racing to the grounds of a school ravaged by gunfire has become a familiar scene, and one that represents only the beginning of incalculable pain, loss and trauma.
    — Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Two women, ages 50 and 60, were killed and dozens of other people were wounded in a Russian strike on a market in Lozova, in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, said Oleh Syniehubov, head of the regional military administration.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Samuels was killed just minutes after posting about Wright's abuse on social media.
    — WCCO Staff, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • The Audi driver ran off with his car’s license plates, leaving the wrecked luxury car behind.
    — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Police and firefighters responding to the area discovered the wrecked vehicle along the hillside.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • On Wednesday night, northern and central parts of the state saw hail the size of golf balls that pummeled people’s roofs, shattered windows and dented cars, along with damaging wind gusts.
    — Wufei Yu, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Hail pummeled people's roofs, shattered windows and dented cars.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Iran’s military has been devastated by American attacks, but the Iranian forces have continued to launch missiles, drones and naval operations to inflict damage in the region.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
  • At home, the United States had defeated their armies, destroyed their infrastructure, retaken their territory, emancipated their enslaved, and devastated their economy and society into a catastrophic mess.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Rypkema said the region could look to San Antonio’s Under 1 Roof program, which provides low- to moderate-income homeowners with one-time grants of up to $19,000 to fix worn or damaged roofs.
    — Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • There are some health concerns related to PTFE coatings when misused, damaged or excessively heated.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Destroyed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destroyed. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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