1
as in ruining
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
as in ravaging
to bring destruction to (something) through violent action
wildfires destroyed thousands of acres in forests across the state
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in killing
to deprive of life
regrettably, the veterinarian was forced to destroy the injured horse
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of destroying
Back in 2023, the small drones started destroying any truck or van within several miles of the front, often in high-speed chases.
—
David Hambling, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Anomalies then occurred during an engine relight sequence, destroying a significant part of the Superheavy aft and resulting in a loss of control.
—Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 22 May 2026
The old main stand on Witton Lane was a beauty and destroying it in the 2000s was an act of architectural vandalism.
—Andy Mitten, New York Times, 21 May 2026
The tree landed squarely on his art studio, destroying it.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 20 May 2026
According to the indictment, Cuban fighter jets pursued a third plane with the intention of destroying it, but the aircraft escaped.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 20 May 2026
Essentially, it was intended to be so powerful and so well-protected that no Allied tank would have a hope of destroying it.
—Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 20 May 2026
But destroying morale and stirring chaos with on-again, off-again layoffs is certainly not the way to do it.
—The Atlantic, 19 May 2026
The Hollywood sign is ablaze as Spencer Pratt, the reality TV star now running for mayor of Los Angeles, suits up as Batman, enters City Hall and leads the people to overthrow a cabal of corrupt, out-of-touch progressives intent on destroying the city.
—National Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026
David Hambling, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Anomalies then occurred during an engine relight sequence, destroying a significant part of the Superheavy aft and resulting in a loss of control.
—Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 22 May 2026
The old main stand on Witton Lane was a beauty and destroying it in the 2000s was an act of architectural vandalism.
—Andy Mitten, New York Times, 21 May 2026
The tree landed squarely on his art studio, destroying it.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 20 May 2026
According to the indictment, Cuban fighter jets pursued a third plane with the intention of destroying it, but the aircraft escaped.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 20 May 2026
Essentially, it was intended to be so powerful and so well-protected that no Allied tank would have a hope of destroying it.
—Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 20 May 2026
But destroying morale and stirring chaos with on-again, off-again layoffs is certainly not the way to do it.
—The Atlantic, 19 May 2026
The Hollywood sign is ablaze as Spencer Pratt, the reality TV star now running for mayor of Los Angeles, suits up as Batman, enters City Hall and leads the people to overthrow a cabal of corrupt, out-of-touch progressives intent on destroying the city.
—National Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for destroying
Verb
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When sound came in, people were writing all these articles about how sound is ruining films.—
Andy Hazel,
IndieWire,
14 May 2026
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Dyckman’s sharing the top three outdoor decor trends that are ruining your space—plus, her favorite Amazon swaps to fix them, starting at $22.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
12 May 2026
Verb
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But Haiti’s ravaging cycle of violence is increasingly making even this hard as the game Haitians love increasingly become a casualty of the gang wars.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
20 May 2026
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With disease ravaging Earth, Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) leads a group of astronauts out on an incredibly dangerous mission through a wormhole on a last-ditch attempt at finding somewhere else to live.—
Grace Dean,
Space.com,
2 May 2026
Verb
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Is God Is is a story about twin sisters Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson), tasked with killing their abusive, absentee father at the request of their mother.—
Mya Abraham,
VIBE.com,
19 May 2026
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Most of the strikes occur in the summer, killing 20 people each year, according to the NWS.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 May 2026
Verb
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On 16 December 2021, typhoon Odette rang in a new chapter, wrecking the island and reducing much of the resort to rubble.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 May 2026
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The line was a wrecking crew that also managed to outscore the opposition.—
Allan Mitchell,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Initial tests suggested the outbreak does not involve the Ebola Zaire strain, which caused Congo’s devastating 2018–2020 epidemic that killed more than 1,000 people.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
17 May 2026
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Captiva Though the recovery isn’t totally complete, Captiva is bouncing back from both 2022’s devastating Hurricane Ian and the rough 2024 hurricane season.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
16 May 2026
Verb
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Instead of slaying a burgundy and blue dragon by taking out the Avs’ second-best player, the Wild officially woke up the beast.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
4 May 2026
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Behold, summer is officially here with two movies that are slaying around the globe.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
2 May 2026
Verb
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Indeed, back in the 1990s and 2000s, municipalities across the country were happily demolishing Brutalist eyesores made to house the poor.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
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The work included demolishing one stand entirely to create the space required to facilitate those media demands.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The administration’s norm-shattering masks a more fundamental misunderstanding of how administrative power can bring about lasting change.—
Joshua M. Sharfstein,
STAT,
16 May 2026
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At that price point, the home will likely become the most expensive home sold in Miami-Dade, shattering the record set by Zuckerberg earlier this year.—
Catherine Odom,
Miami Herald,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Destroying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destroying. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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