Word family noun destroyer destruction adjective indestructible destructive verb destroy adverb destructively
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdestroyde‧stroy /dɪˈstrɔɪ/ ●●● S2 W2 verb [transitive] 1 DESTROYto damage something so badly that it no longer exists or cannot be used or repaired → destructioncompletely/totally destroy The school was completely destroyed by fire. companies that are polluting and destroying the environmentdestroy somebody’s confidence/hope/faith etc2 SPOILif something destroys someone, it ruins their life completely The scandal destroyed Simmons and ended his political career.3 informal to defeat an opponent easily The Bears destroyed the Detroit Lions 35–3.4 HBAKILLto kill an animal, especially because it is ill or dangerous One of the bulls had to be destroyed.COLLOCATIONSnounsdestroy the evidence (=deliberately destroy evidence of a crime)They set light to the car to destroy the evidence.destroy the environmentSome of these companies are polluting and destroying the environment.destroy the world/planetNo one wants another war, which might destroy the world.destroy somebody’s careerShe made one bad mistake and it destroyed her career.destroy somebody’s reputationThe scandal destroyed his reputation.destroy the character of somethingNew buildings have destroyed much of the character of the area.destroy somebody’s hopesLosing the game destroyed the team’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals.destroy somebody’s confidenceWhen he failed his degree, it completely destroyed his confidence.adverbscompletely/totally destroy somethingThe plane was completely destroyed when it hit a mountain.partially destroy somethingThe Great Fire of 1666 partially destroyed the prison.phrasesbe destroyed by fire/a bomb/earthquake etcThe building was destroyed by fire in 2004. THESAURUSdestroy to damage something so badly that it no longer exists or cannot be used or repairedThe earthquake almost completely destroyed the city.The twin towers were destroyed in a terrorist attack.devastate to damage a large area very badly and destroy many things in itAllied bombings in 1943 devastated the city.The country’s economy has been devastated by years of fighting.demolish to completely destroy a building, either deliberately or by accidentThe original 15th century house was demolished in Victorian times.The plane crashed into a suburb of Paris, demolishing several buildings.flatten to destroy a building or town by knocking it down, bombing it etc, so that nothing is left standingThe town centre was flattened by a 500 lb bomb.wreck to deliberately damage something very badly, especially a room or buildingThe toilets had been wrecked by vandals.They just wrecked the place.trash informal to deliberately destroy a lot of the things in a room, house etcApparently, he trashed his hotel room while on drugs.obliterate formal to destroy a place so completely that nothing remainsThe nuclear blast obliterated most of Hiroshima.reduce something to ruins/rubble/ashes to destroy a building or town completelyThe town was reduced to rubble in the First World War.ruin to spoil something completely, so that it cannot be used or enjoyedFungus may ruin the crop.The new houses will ruin the view. → See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
destroy• The court ordered the owner of the rottweilers to have the dogs destroyed.• Drawers and cupboards had been completely emptied, and everything had been broken, ripped and destroyed.• In Brazil the rainforests are gradually being destroyed.• Milk is heat treated for a few seconds to destroy bacteria.• Even close relationships can be destroyed by alcoholism.• The factory was almost completely destroyed by fire.• A vast amount of the Amazonian rainforest is being destroyed every day.• Her feelings of self-doubt had destroyed every relationship that she had ever had.• An accident destroyed her ballet career.• This would have destroyed him and saved the world from another war.• Chandler worried that the scandal would destroy his chances for a respectable career.• Your educated boys went at it a little more privately and gracefully, but sometimes destroyed more people in the long run.• The earthquake destroyed much of the city.• I don't want this to destroy our friendship.• Pollution may destroy the 17th century shrine.• The Animal Disease Authority decided to destroy the cattle that were infected with the disease.• Roadways that run through city centres, food refrigerators that destroyed the ecosystem of their homeworld.• Others said it would destroy the moral fabric of the state.• All over the earth men grew so wicked that finally Zeus determined to destroy them.• Chemists tell us the oxygen would have destroyed them.• Few things destroy trust more than telling a friend's secrets.• High interest rates and falling orders had destroyed two generations of hard work, she said.completely/totally destroy• Had his desire been completely destroyed by hatred?• If dated by conventional radiocarbon, it would have been totally destroyed during measurement.• In 1908, an earthquake almost completely destroyed Messina, Sicily.• The tunnels were never totally destroyed, nor were they ever emptied.• San Francisco was shaken by a severe earthquake which, together with the fire that followed, almost completely destroyed the city.• The result is a devastating detonation that completely destroys the rocket.• And in 60 percent of mice in which human tumors were implanted, the virus completely destroyed the tumors.• At this rate, the forest will be completely destroyed within the next 30 years.Origin destroy (1100-1200) Old French destruire, from Latin destruere, from struere “to build” 