1
as in to ruin
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
they practically destroyed the safe in order to get at the money inside their poor scores on the final exam destroyed any chance they might have had to pass the course
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to ravage
to bring destruction to (something) through violent action
wildfires destroyed thousands of acres in forests across the state
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to kill
to deprive of life
regrettably, the veterinarian was forced to destroy the injured horse
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of destroy
Deputies said Mitchell tried to destroy evidence after the incident.
—
Natalie Demaree, Miami Herald, 26 May 2025
Based on Naughty Dog’s award-winning video game, The Last of Us takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 26 May 2025
An embarrassing, humbling, shocking Game 5 defeat showed that.
All the same problems, the ones that destroyed Leaf team after Leaf team and ultimately ended Sheldon Keefe’s time as head coach, are emerging again at the worst possible time.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 15 May 2025
In order to retrieve the original source code of the Entity and destroy it, Hunt has to risk life and limb and dive into icy arctic waters to a sunken Soviet submarine teetering 500 feet underwater.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for destroy
Natalie Demaree, Miami Herald, 26 May 2025
Based on Naughty Dog’s award-winning video game, The Last of Us takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 26 May 2025
An embarrassing, humbling, shocking Game 5 defeat showed that.
All the same problems, the ones that destroyed Leaf team after Leaf team and ultimately ended Sheldon Keefe’s time as head coach, are emerging again at the worst possible time.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 15 May 2025
In order to retrieve the original source code of the Entity and destroy it, Hunt has to risk life and limb and dive into icy arctic waters to a sunken Soviet submarine teetering 500 feet underwater.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for destroy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for destroy
Verb
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There were missions that felt like a rally racing mini-game, asking me to navigate between timer-extending rings dotting barren desert ruins.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
3 June 2025
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The situation took a turn when Amy accidentally ruined her earbuds in the wash.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
3 June 2025
Verb
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The council also scaled back the number of new hires the mayor proposed for the Los Angeles Fire Department in the wake of the wildfire that ravaged huge stretches of Pacific Palisades.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2025
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Numerous celebrities, including Mel Gibson, Paris Hilton and Milo Ventimiglia lost their homes in the ravaging blaze.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
Verb
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The forecast comes after several devastating hurricanes battered the U.S. last year, including Helene, which killed 241 people across five states in September.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
25 May 2025
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The week took a tragic turn Wednesday evening in Washington, D.C., when two Israeli Embassy employees were shot and killed near a Jewish museum.—
Grace Miserocchi,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2025
Verb
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Facing greater competition and sensing more opportunity, the owners decided to close the hotel at the end of May and demolish the building next year.—
Vinod Sreeharsha,
Miami Herald,
20 May 2025
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Its current office building in the area would be demolished.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
20 May 2025
Verb
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Sand, breeze blocks, storm shutters—these are materials of survival and exclusion, shaped by the hurricanes that regularly devastate her homeland.—
Nargess Banks,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
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The Trump administration granted Syria sweeping exemptions from sanctions Friday in a big first step toward fulfilling the president’s pledge to lift a half-century of penalties on a country devastated by civil war.—
Abby Sewell,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2025
Verb
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Israeli President Isaac Herzog said early Thursday morning that the country remains united with the families of slain embassy staffers in Washington.—
Ashleigh Fields,
The Hill,
22 May 2025
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Russo, a 24-year FDNY veteran, had been expecting to retire in a few months when she was slain.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
20 May 2025
Verb
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Whatever credibility the report might have had as a product of a federal agency was shattered by its obvious errors, misrepresentations and outright fabrications of source materials, some of it plainly the product of the authors’ reliance on AI bots.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2025
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In 1985, Michael Jordan shattered a backboard during a dunk in a summer exhibition game against the Italian team Stefanel Trieste.—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
2 June 2025
Verb
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During testimony, Lance Jimenez of the Los Angeles Fire Department recalled a 2012 incident in which an explosion wrecked a Porsche owned by Scott Mescudi, professionally known as Kid Cudi.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
28 May 2025
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Walls were wrecked by artillery blasts and gunfire.—
Emmanuel Akinwotu,
NPR,
27 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Destroy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destroy. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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