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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 reduce (an object) to useless fragments, a useless form, or remains, as by rending, burning, or dissolving; injure beyond repair or renewal; demolish; ruin; annihilate. Synonyms: devastate, ravage, waste, level, smash. Antonyms: create. to put an end to; extinguish.
destroy something to damage something so badly that it no longer exists, works, etc. The building was completely destroyed by fire. The earthquake damaged or destroyed countless homes. Some of the habitat has already been totally destroyed. They've destroyed all the evidence.
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 day 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.
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).
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.
1. To break apart the structure of, render physically unusable, or cause to cease to exist as a distinguishable physical entity: The fire destroyed the library. The tumor was destroyed with a laser. 2. To put an end to; eliminate: "In crowded populations, poverty destroys the possibility of cleanliness" (George Bernard Shaw). 3.
