as in to implode
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Recent Examples of self-destruct
If Becket is willing to kill for control, Julia understands that control often comes from letting other people self-destruct.
—
Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 18 Feb. 2026
Some are outfitted with dozens of pounds of explosives to self-destruct near fortifications or bridges.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 29 Jan. 2026
Simon insisted that, contrary to Ehrlich’s predictions, humanity would not self-destruct by overusing the planet’s resources.
—Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
The radical outliers self-destruct during the high jinks (they get arrested or killed), but most people exhaust themselves and are happy to return to their workweek lives.
—Chuck Palahniuk, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-destruct
Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 18 Feb. 2026
Some are outfitted with dozens of pounds of explosives to self-destruct near fortifications or bridges.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 29 Jan. 2026
Simon insisted that, contrary to Ehrlich’s predictions, humanity would not self-destruct by overusing the planet’s resources.
—Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
The radical outliers self-destruct during the high jinks (they get arrested or killed), but most people exhaust themselves and are happy to return to their workweek lives.
—Chuck Palahniuk, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-destruct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-destruct
Verb
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By comparison, the New Haven Coliseum, which was slightly larger, closed 24 years ago and was imploded a few years later.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
17 June 2026
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With the craft's communications failing within the first two hours, the submersible imploded upon descent, resulting in their instantaneous deaths.—
Dan Snierson,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Yet robust economic growth has proved elusive, even as government debt has climbed, leaving successive administrations with little firepower to fix a growing list of related challenges, from crumbling infrastructure to a chronic housing shortage.—
Hanna Ziady,
CNN Money,
23 June 2026
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All of this was a source of ongoing friction; and the glue that held the USSR together, military might and communist ideology, had been crumbling for some time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 June 2026
Verb
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Opponents will go under every screen against him unless that improves.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
20 June 2026
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Monterrey, Mexico This is a game that will likely go under the radar, but there will be plenty of talent on display.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-destruct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-destruct. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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