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

Gazans are also facing dehydration with 70% of critical water infrastructure damaged or destroyed throughout the war, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. —Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 8 Feb. 2025

The Eaton fire happened on Jan. 7 and Allen’s house was destroyed, along with that of his assistant. —Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2025

The storm destroyed every structure on the island, wiping out the concert stage, tiki bar, giant slide and food truck. —Gabrielle Calise Tampa Bay Times (tns), arkansasonline.com, 8 Feb. 2025

In addition to Meester and Brody, Cameron Mathison, Anna Faris, Ricki Lake, Cary Elwes and Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag were among the stars who confirmed that their homes were also destroyed. —Stephanie Wenger, People.com, 8 Feb. 2025

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