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- DictionaryDe·stroy/dəˈstroi/
verb
- 1. put an end to the existence of (something) by damaging or attacking it: "the room had been destroyed by fire"
to damage something, esp. in a violent way, so that it can no longer be used or no longer exists: You can use a shredder to destroy old bank statements. Losing his job seemed to completely destroy his confidence. (Definition of destroy from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press) Examples of destroy. destroy.
destroy something to kill an animal deliberately, usually because it is sick or not wanted. The injured horse had to be destroyed. Definition of destroy verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
To destroy is to completely demolish. To destroy is the opposite of to construct or to build. When you destroy something, you cause destruction, when you build something, you are involved in its construction. In war, soldiers are sometimes sent on missions to search and destroy. This means their job is to find a target and completely take it out.
1 destroy something/somebody to damage something so badly that it no longer exists, works, etc. The building was completely destroyed by fire. They've destroyed all the evidence. Heat gradually destroys vitamin C. You have destroyed my hopes of happiness. Failure was slowly destroying him (= making him less and less confident and happy).
2 days ago · 1. transitive 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. 2. transitive verb. To destroy someone means to ruin their life or to make their situation impossible to bear.
Apr 25, 2024 · SYNONYMS 1. smash, level, waste, ravage, devastate. destroy, demolish, raze imply reducing a thing to uselessness. To destroy is to reduce something to nothingness or to take away its powers and functions so that restoration is impossible: Fire destroys a building. Disease destroys tissues.
B1. to damage something so badly that it does not exist or cannot be used: Many works of art were destroyed in the fire. Fewer examples. The flood destroyed thousands of homes. The building had been destroyed by fire. The bomb destroyed several office buildings in the city. The documents were destroyed by mistake.
