1
as in devastation
the state or fact of being rendered nonexistent, physically unsound, or useless
the violent storm resulted in the destruction of their tree house
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2
as in downfall
something that is the cause of one's ultimate failure or loss of life
alcohol will be her destruction if we don't intervene to help her
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Recent Examples of destruction
No destruction was reported from a tsunami warning issued on Thursday, Dec. 5, for residents of the Northern California area in the wake of a serious earthquake in the Pacific Ocean.
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Adam Carlson, People.com, 5 Dec. 2024
The same day as the destruction in Paradise, another fire ignited some 470 miles south.
—Calmatters, The Mercury News, 4 Dec. 2024
Hama was the site of the Assad regime’s bloody crackdown on protesters in 2011 and the scene of widespread destruction in 1982.
—David Hodari, NBC News, 4 Dec. 2024
Environmental campaign groups, meanwhile, say the practice cannot be done sustainably and will inevitably lead to ecosystem destruction and species extinction.
—Sam Meredith, CNBC, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for destruction 
Adam Carlson, People.com, 5 Dec. 2024
The same day as the destruction in Paradise, another fire ignited some 470 miles south.
—Calmatters, The Mercury News, 4 Dec. 2024
Hama was the site of the Assad regime’s bloody crackdown on protesters in 2011 and the scene of widespread destruction in 1982.
—David Hodari, NBC News, 4 Dec. 2024
Environmental campaign groups, meanwhile, say the practice cannot be done sustainably and will inevitably lead to ecosystem destruction and species extinction.
—Sam Meredith, CNBC, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for destruction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for destruction
Noun
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The ‘blazing furnace’ The real estate mogul’s downfall was stunning for the gargantuan scale of the fraud, rattling a country which has long projected an image of authoritarian stability.Kathleen Magramo, CNN, 6 Dec. 2024
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His downfall was precipitated by his decision to invoke Article 49.3 of the French Constitution, bypassing a parliamentary vote to push through a controversial 2025 budget.Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Many planetary shifts and changes are causing havoc not just in the sky but also in our personal lives.Lisa Stardust, People.com, 7 Dec. 2024
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Dangerous snow and ice have already piled up in parts of the Northeast, causing havoc on roads and roofs to cave in.Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 4 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The aftershocks of the Vietnam War and the ruination of family legacy also came into play in Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974).Richard Newby, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Oct. 2024
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Athens used its financial power to abuse its allies and in doing so precipitated its own ruination.Henry Farrell, Foreign Affairs, 24 Jan. 2020
Noun
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The demolition of the Chicago Stock Exchange in 1972 is often cited as the tipping point toward creating any significant landmark protections in Chicago.Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 15 Dec. 2024
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This has included banning cars, demolition and construction work, and spraying roads with water.Aishwarya S Iyer, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Her official cause of death has yet to be released.Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 17 Dec. 2024
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She is believed by police to have died from a gunshot wound, though the medical examiner has not confirmed a cause of death.Ayana Archie, NPR, 17 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Conservationists began tracking hatchlings, once on the verge of extinction, 25 years ago.Erika Page, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Dec. 2024
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More than a quarter of North American bumblebees are at risk of extinction with both bees and butterflies declining by a shocking 1 or 2% a year, according to a report in the National Academy of Sciences.Amy Chillag, CNN, 3 Dec. 2024
Noun
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In quick succession, however, three key incidents turned out to be the undoing of a furious Hansi Flick and his men starting with Marc Casado's careless dismissal for a second yellow card.Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 23 Nov. 2024
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And for now, Trump has the benefit of having inherited a U.S. economy that has performed very well, despite the many voters who voiced unhappiness about the economy that may have been Vice President Kamala Harris’ undoing.Don Lee, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The imposition of price controls is more often than not the imposition of a loss that businesses (including banks) aren’t in the position to sustain, thus the cessation of the service price-controlled by federal bureaucrats.John Tamny, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
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Such outages are defined as those affecting at least 50,000 homes or businesses, or causing at least a 300-megawatt loss of power.Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Destruction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destruction. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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