destroyed; destroying; destroys
1
: to ruin the structure, organic existence, or condition of : damage beyond repair
destroyed the files
Their reputation was destroyed.
A disease that destroys the body's ability to fight off illness.
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
Stephen W. Larose
d
informal
: to defeat soundly
destroyed the other team 10-1
: to cause ruin or destruction
It is proverbially easier to destroy than to construct …—T. S. Eliot
T. S. EliotExamples 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
The thymus is responsible for producing the body’s T cells, which help to target and destroy invading pathogens.
—Taylor Mitchell Brown, Scientific American, 14 Feb. 2026
Eliminating school property taxes is unrealistic and would destroy funding for our local public schools.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
There have been numerous documentaries made about the war in Gaza, which began with Hamas’ massacre of Israelis on October 7th, 2023, and was followed by a brutal retaliation from the IDF, who killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and destroyed much of the Gaza Strip.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 14 Feb. 2026
And certainly not as a giant marina, which would have destroyed a habitat that was home to several endangered species.
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for destroy
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Taylor Mitchell Brown, Scientific American, 14 Feb. 2026
Eliminating school property taxes is unrealistic and would destroy funding for our local public schools.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
There have been numerous documentaries made about the war in Gaza, which began with Hamas’ massacre of Israelis on October 7th, 2023, and was followed by a brutal retaliation from the IDF, who killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and destroyed much of the Gaza Strip.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 14 Feb. 2026
And certainly not as a giant marina, which would have destroyed a habitat that was home to several endangered species.
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for destroy
Cite this Entry
“Destroy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/destroy. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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