as in ruined
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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
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2
as in ravaged
to bring destruction to (something) through violent action
wildfires destroyed thousands of acres in forests across the state
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3
as in killed
to deprive of life
regrettably, the veterinarian was forced to destroy the injured horse
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of destroyed
Helen Regan, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
Twelve people were killed, including two young boys, in the southeastern city of Dnipro, where a four-story apartment building was partially destroyed, local officials said.
—Valentyn Ogirenko, USA Today, 2 June 2026
Bass was the mayor during a devastating series of wildfires in 2025 that killed more than thirty people and destroyed some eighteen thousand structures in Los Angeles, and her administration’s response has emerged as a major issue in the race.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 2 June 2026
The Pentagon has destroyed numerous mines and over 40 minelaying vessels, a White House official told CNBC.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 2 June 2026
The original Neiman Marcus store opened in downtown Dallas in 1907, but after a fire destroyed the site, the flagship was relocated to its current one in 1914, which is at Main and Ervay streets.
—David Moin, Footwear News, 2 June 2026
Just all these innocent people, the culture, just, they could all just be destroyed.
—Alex Sundby, CBS News, 1 June 2026
Beyond the physical destruction, the Great War, as it was then known, destroyed a world where many people believed in progress and gradual advance and replaced it with a cynical and desperate world, in which nations and ideologies were natural and necessary enemies.
—Literary Hub, 27 May 2026
But in 1931, a logician who was then just 25 years old, Kurt Gödel, destroyed these hopes.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 26 May 2026
Verb
Russian air defenses intercepted and destroyed more than 350 Ukrainian drones over territories both close to the border but also as further afield as Moscow, St Petersburg, and Novgorod in the country’s west, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
—Helen Regan, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
Twelve people were killed, including two young boys, in the southeastern city of Dnipro, where a four-story apartment building was partially destroyed, local officials said.
—Valentyn Ogirenko, USA Today, 2 June 2026
Bass was the mayor during a devastating series of wildfires in 2025 that killed more than thirty people and destroyed some eighteen thousand structures in Los Angeles, and her administration’s response has emerged as a major issue in the race.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 2 June 2026
The Pentagon has destroyed numerous mines and over 40 minelaying vessels, a White House official told CNBC.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 2 June 2026
The original Neiman Marcus store opened in downtown Dallas in 1907, but after a fire destroyed the site, the flagship was relocated to its current one in 1914, which is at Main and Ervay streets.
—David Moin, Footwear News, 2 June 2026
Just all these innocent people, the culture, just, they could all just be destroyed.
—Alex Sundby, CBS News, 1 June 2026
Beyond the physical destruction, the Great War, as it was then known, destroyed a world where many people believed in progress and gradual advance and replaced it with a cynical and desperate world, in which nations and ideologies were natural and necessary enemies.
—Literary Hub, 27 May 2026
But in 1931, a logician who was then just 25 years old, Kurt Gödel, destroyed these hopes.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 26 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for destroyed
Adjective
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His choices allow the viewer to drink in the intimate details of the ruined world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Israeli forces now control large areas in southern Lebanon and have demolished homes and historical sites.—
Melanie Lidman,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
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Two other properties were purchased in 2024, one of which was a barbershop that was demolished, and a third property was purchased in 2025.—
Delia Rose Sauer,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Then, a year after the Palisades wildfires ravaged Southern California, destroying his home, Pratt, 42, announced his bid for Los Angeles mayor.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
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The year before, his hometown of Mexico City had been ravaged by a massive earthquake.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Verb
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At least 13 people were killed in the overnight assault that Ukraine’s military said involved more than 600 drones and dozens of missiles, including advanced hypersonics.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
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Israel says 23 of its soldiers and four civilians have been killed over the same period.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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For days, no one connected the wrecked car to Marcus.—
Edie Peffley,
NBC news,
19 May 2026
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The three adults on board — pilot Hernán Murcia, Indigenous leader Herman Mendoza Hernández and Magdalena — were found dead when Colombian soldiers located the wrecked plane two weeks after the crash.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
Verb
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The family members of South Florida Realtor Melanie Hyer and her two young daughters say they are shattered after the three were killed in their Doral home at the hands of the children’s father.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
6 June 2026
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The bullet penetrated his hip, thrust through his knee and shattered his femur.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
6 June 2026
Verb
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Let’s hope that wisdom returns today to support humanitarian aid for war devastated nations.—
William Lambers,
Hartford Courant,
6 June 2026
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Meanwhile, Mason was left devastated, according to his parents.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
Adjective
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Cut away any damaged or bruised areas; throw away the outer leaves of lettuce and cabbage heads.—
Emerson Latham,
Better Homes & Gardens,
30 May 2026
-
Photos from the scene showed charred and damaged brickwork on the roof of the 10-story apartment block which Romanian authorities said was hit by a drone that exploded on impact, tearing through a top-floor flat.—
George Calin,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Destroyed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destroyed. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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