Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense destroys, present participle destroying, past tense, past participle destroyed
1. verb
To destroy something means to cause so much damage to it that it is completely ruined or does not exist any more.
That's a sure recipe for destroying the economy and creating chaos. [VERB noun]
No one was injured in the explosion, but the building was completely destroyed. [VERB noun]
Even the most gifted can have confidence destroyed by the wrong instructor. [VERB noun]
2. verb
To destroy someone means to ruin their life or to make their situation impossible to bear.
If I was younger or more naive, the criticism would have destroyed me. [VERB noun]
3. verb [usually passive]
If an animal is destroyed, it is killed, either because it is ill or because it is dangerous.
Lindsay was unhurt but the horse had to be destroyed. [beVERB-ed]
Synonyms: slaughter, kill, put down, exterminate More Synonyms of destroy
4. See also soul-destroying
More Synonyms of destroy
destroy in British English
(dɪˈstrɔɪ)
verb(mainly tr)
1.
to ruin; spoil; render useless
2.
to tear down or demolish; break up; raze
3.
to put an end to; do away with; extinguish
4.
to kill or annihilate
5.
to crush, subdue, or defeat
6. (intransitive)
to be destructive or cause destruction
Derived forms
destroyable (deˈstroyable)
adjective
Word origin
C13: from Old French destruire, from Latin dēstruere to pull down, from de- + struere to pile up, build
destroy in American English
(dɪˈstrɔɪ)
verb transitive
1.
to tear down; demolish
2.
to break up or spoil completely; ruin
3.
to bring to total defeat; crush
4.
to put an end to; do away with
5.
to kill
6.
to neutralize the effect of
7.
to make useless
verb intransitive
8.
to bring about destruction
SYNONYMY NOTE: destroy implies a tearing down or bringing to an end by wrecking, ruining, killing, eradicating,etc. and is the term of broadest application here [to destroy a city, one's influence, etc.]; demolish implies such destructive force as to completely smash to pieces [the bombs demolished the factories]; raze means to level to the ground, either destructively or by systematic wrecking witha salvaging of useful parts; to , annihilate is to destroy so completely as to blot out of existence [rights that cannot be annihilated]
Word origin
ME destroien < OFr destruire < L destruere < de-, down + struere, to build: see structure
Examples of 'destroy' in a sentence
destroy
Many buildings are completely destroyed because of the pressure wave from the blast.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Her constant criticism and the lack of a fulfilling job has completely destroyed my self-confidence.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
You aren't destroyed by defeats if you feel you own the game.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
That would destroy me completely.
The Sun (2017)
Longford, a neighbouring village, will be completely destroyed.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
That adds up to 16 destroyed or damaged, because in war that is what happens.
The Sun (2016)
There were also hundreds of commercial buildings destroyed or damaged that have to be rebuilt.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The notes disclose a series of errors that resulted in evidence being damaged or destroyed.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
We thought it had been destroyed completely but we know it is saved.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It requires ground forces to be decisive to be able to destroy and defeat.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
But years of corruption and violence have destroyed the economy and terrified the people.
The Sun (2012)
The solution proposed was simply to destroy the entire building.
Oliver Poole BLACK KNIGHTS: On the Bloody Road to Baghdad (2003)
Armoured vehicles and troop carriers were destroyed or damaged.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
This has come out of the blue and completely destroyed us.
The Sun (2009)
Then conductors and singers completely destroy the work of these gentlemen.
Susie Gilbert and Jay Shir A TALE OF FOUR HOUSES: Opera at Covent Garden, La Scala, Vienna and the Met since1945 (2003)
She really values her home as her one safe place and now that has been completely destroyed.
The Sun (2013)
If we were going to remain bitter we were going to destroy ourselves completely as a family.
Davey, Ray Rev. & Cole, John A Channel of Peace (1993)
The banks are blamed for nearly destroying the world economy and can do no right in the eyes of most voters.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
It has completely destroyed my confidence.
The Sun (2010)
They want to destroy our economy, our tourism.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Meanwhile, there are deadly viruses to be destroyed and burning buildings from which to escape.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Almost 2,500 homes and other buildings have been destroyed.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
By now the lives of all four siblings have been damaged or destroyed by their mother's legacy.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
And what would have happened to our banking system if the government had not interfered - would it have destroyed our economy?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
While these are not the result of action by foreign governments specifically directed at the firm, they can damage or destroy an investment.
Maurice D. Levi International Finance: The markets and financial management of multinational business. (1983)
Officials said that 10,000 to 15,000 buildings were either damaged or destroyed.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
In other languages
destroy
British English: destroy /dɪˈstrɔɪ/ VERB
To destroy something means to cause so much damage to it that it is completely ruined or does not exist any more.
The building was completely destroyed.
American English: destroy
Arabic: يُدَمِّرُ
Brazilian Portuguese: destruir
Chinese: 破坏
Croatian: uništiti
Czech: ničit
Danish: ødelægge
Dutch: verwoesten
European Spanish: destruir
Finnish: tuhota
French: détruire
German: zerstören
Greek: καταστρέφω
Italian: distruggere
Japanese: 破壊する
Korean: 파괴하다
Norwegian: ødelegge
Polish: zniszczyć
European Portuguese: destruir
Romanian: a distruge
Russian: уничтожать
Latin American Spanish: destruir
Swedish: förstöra
Thai: ทำลาย
Turkish: yok etmek
Ukrainian: знищувати
Vietnamese: phá hủy
All related terms of 'destroy'
destroy cells
A cell is the smallest part of an animal or plant that is able to function independently. Every animal or plant is made up of millions of cells.
destroy aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle which can fly , for example an aeroplane or a helicopter .
destroy a life
Someone's life is the period of time during which they are alive .
destroy evidence
Evidence is anything that you see, experience, read , or are told that causes you to believe that something is true or has really happened .
search-and-destroy
designed to find and destroy by bombing etc
Chinese translation of 'destroy'
destroy
(dɪsˈtrɔɪ)
vt
[building, object]破坏(壞) (pòhuài)
[faith, confidence]打破 (dǎpò)
[animal]杀(殺)死 (shāsǐ)
1 (verb)
Definition
to ruin
The building was completely destroyed.
Synonyms
ruin
Roads have been destroyed and crops ruined.
smash
The authorities were trying to smash a smuggling ring.
crush
waste
devastate
A fire devastated large parts of the castle.
break down
wreck
Vandals wrecked the garden.
shatter
Something like that really shatters your confidence.
gut
wipe out
dispatch
They may catch him and dispatch him immediately.
dismantle
demolish
The building is being demolished to make way for a motorway.
trash (slang)
Would they trash the place when the party was over?
total (slang)
I broke my collar bone and totalled the bike.
ravage
Drought ravaged the area.
slay (archaic, literary)
the hill where he slew the dragon
eradicate
torpedo
extinguish
desolate
A great famine desolated the country.
annihilate
put paid to
raze
Dozens of villages have been razed.
blow to bits
extirpate (archaic)
blow sky-high
2 (verb)
Such criticism would have destroyed a more sensitive person.
Synonyms
devastate (informal)
If word of this gets out, it will devastate his family.
overwhelm
He was overwhelmed by a longing for times past.
overpower
I was so overpowered by shame that I was unable to speak.
floor (informal)
I was floored by the announcement.
take aback
I was taken aback when a stranger answered the phone.
chagrin
He was chagrined at missing such an easy goal.
nonplus
discompose
3 (verb)
Definition
to kill (an animal)
The horse had to be destroyed.
Synonyms
slaughter
Whales and dolphins are still being slaughtered for commercial gain.
kill
More than 200 people were killed in the disaster.
put down
exterminate
A huge effort was made to exterminate the rats.
put to sleep
4 (verb)
Definition
to put an end to
They could destroy the enemy in days rather than weeks.
Synonyms
annihilate
The army was annihilated.
wipe out
obliterate
Whole villages were obliterated by the fire.
erase
They are desperate to erase the memory of their defeat.
eradicate
battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus
extinguish
The message extinguished her hopes of seeing her friend any time soon.
liquidate
They have not hesitated in the past to liquidate their rivals.
root out
exterminate
nullify
extirpate (archaic)
The Romans wished to extirpate Druidism in Britain.
wipe from the face of the earth
5 (verb)
Definition
to crush or defeat
The team destroyed their opponents in a one-sided game.
Synonyms
defeat
His troops defeated the opposing army.
beat
He was easily beaten into third place.
master
She needs to master her fears of becoming ill.
tank (slang)
crush
The military operation was the first step in a plan to crush the uprising.
overwhelm
One massive assault would overwhelm the weakened enemy.
conquer
a Navajo myth about a great warrior who conquers the spiritual enemies of his people
overthrow
The government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.
lick (informal)
He might be able to lick us all in a fair fight.
undo
Our hopes of a victory were undone by an error from the goalkeeper.
subdue
They admit they have not been able to subdue the rebels.
rout
The Norman army routed the English opposition.
overpower
Britain's tennis No.1 yesterday overpowered his American rival.
quell
Troops eventually quelled the unrest.
trounce
Australia trounced France by sixty points to four.
clobber (slang)
stuff (slang)
vanquish
a happy ending in which the hero vanquishes the monsters
subjugate
Their costly attempt to subjugate the citizens lasted 10 years.
run rings around (informal)
wipe the floor with (informal)
make mincemeat of (informal)
pip at the post
outplay
blow out of the water (slang)
Additional synonyms
in the sense of beat
Definition
to overcome or defeat
He was easily beaten into third place.
Synonyms
defeat,
outdo,
trounce,
overcome,
stuff (slang),
master,
tank (slang),
crush,
overwhelm,
conquer,
lick (informal),
undo,
subdue,
excel,
surpass,
overpower,
outstrip,
clobber (slang),
vanquish,
outrun,
subjugate,
run rings around (informal),
wipe the floor with (informal),
knock spots off (informal),
make mincemeat of (informal),
pip at the post,
outplay,
blow out of the water (slang),
put in the shade (informal),
bring to their knees
in the sense of chagrin
He was chagrined at missing such an easy goal.
Synonyms
annoy,
embarrass,
humiliate,
disquiet,
vex,
displease,
mortify,
discomfit,
dissatisfy,
discompose,
irritate,
irk,
peeve
in the sense of conquer
Definition
to defeat (an opponent or opponents)
a Navajo myth about a great warrior who conquers the spiritual enemies of his people