destroy

verb

de·​stroy di-ˈstrȯi 

dē-

destroyed; destroying; destroys

transitive verb

1

: to ruin the structure, organic existence, or condition of

destroyed the files

also : to ruin as if by tearing to shreds

their reputation was destroyed

a disease that destroys the body's ability to fight off illness

… destroyed any hope of a return to past crackdowns …

—George Brock

2

a

: to put out of existence : kill

destroy an injured horse

b

: neutralize

the moon destroys the light of the stars

c

: annihilate, vanquish

… marines have been trained to close with and destroy the enemy. That's what we do.

—Stephen W. Larose

intransitive verb

: to cause ruin or destruction

It is proverbially easier to destroy than to construct …

—T. S. Eliot

Synonyms

• annihilate
• cream
• decimate
• demolish
• desolate
• devastate
• do in
• extinguish
• nuke
• pull down
• pulverize
• raze
• rub out
• ruin
• shatter
• smash
• tear down
• total
• vaporize
• waste
• wrack
• wreck

Examples of destroy in a Sentence

Eventually our problems with money destroyed our marriage.

All the files were deliberately destroyed.

The disease destroys the body's ability to fight off illness.

The bomb blast destroyed the village.

The dog had to be destroyed since its owner could not prevent it from attacking people.

Recent Examples on the Web

The United States has banned artificial intelligence after blaming it for a nuclear explosion that destroyed Los Angeles. —Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 26 Sep. 2023

At least 97 people were confirmed to have died in the Maui wildfires, which destroyed approximately 2,000 buildings — most of them homes. —Jonathan Vigliotti, CBS News, 26 Sep. 2023

Leftist government is destroying cities all over our country. —Virginia Chamlee, Peoplemag, 25 Sep. 2023

But saying that Donald Trump is trying to destroy democracy. —Nbc Universal, NBC News, 24 Sep. 2023

In addition to drying out, many forest sites have been disturbed or destroyed by extensive laterite mining, Raman says. —WIRED, 22 Sep. 2023

Inequalities were heightened during the pandemic as well as in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police officers in May 2020, which saw small businesses around the Midtown Global Market destroyed by fire and riots. —Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Sep. 2023

The two never spoke again, and Albin destroyed all the letters Reed had sent her over the years. —Will Hermes, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2023

An eruption in 2018 Kilauea destroyed more than 700 homes. —Robert Higgs, cleveland, 11 Sep. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French destroy-, destrui-, stem of destrure, from Vulgar Latin *destrugere, alteration of Latin destruere, from de- + struere to build — more at structure

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

destroy

verb

de·​stroy di-ˈstrȯi 

1

: to put an end to : do away with : ruin

2

: kill entry 1 sense 1, slaughter