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
The effects of ecological degradation, including pollution, habitat destruction and climate change, will be a significant concern for some organizations across industries.
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Maureen Metcalf, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
In photos: Cyclone Chido causes widespread destruction in Mayotte
Go deeper: Why climate change hits poorest countries hardest
Editor's note: This is a breaking news story.
—Rebecca Falconer, Axios, 15 Dec. 2024
Tropical Cyclone Chido made landfall in Mozambique on Sunday after causing destruction in Mayotte, a French archipelago of about 300,000 people in the Indian Ocean, where at least 11 people died, France’s interior ministry said on Sunday.
—Nazaneen Ghaffar, New York Times, 15 Dec. 2024
Looting and destruction Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act after a generation of lobbying by educators and scientists who wanted to protect sites from commercial artifact looting and haphazard collecting by individuals.
—Susan Montoya Bryan, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for destruction 
Maureen Metcalf, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
In photos: Cyclone Chido causes widespread destruction in Mayotte
Go deeper: Why climate change hits poorest countries hardest
Editor's note: This is a breaking news story.
—Rebecca Falconer, Axios, 15 Dec. 2024
Tropical Cyclone Chido made landfall in Mozambique on Sunday after causing destruction in Mayotte, a French archipelago of about 300,000 people in the Indian Ocean, where at least 11 people died, France’s interior ministry said on Sunday.
—Nazaneen Ghaffar, New York Times, 15 Dec. 2024
Looting and destruction Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act after a generation of lobbying by educators and scientists who wanted to protect sites from commercial artifact looting and haphazard collecting by individuals.
—Susan Montoya Bryan, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for destruction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for destruction
Noun
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Not only did Lee participate in the USSR’s downfall.Matthew Continetti, National Review, 21 Dec. 2024
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The pandemic and related delays on film releases, as well as shutdown of theaters were also listed as causes for Rectangle Productions’ downfall.Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 20 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Their grievances justify lawbreaking, havoc, rampage.Matthew Continetti, National Review, 14 Dec. 2024
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Long lamented the havoc wreaked on motorists, who will be affected by the partial bridge closure well into 2025.Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 12 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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But as construction work began, starting with the demolition of the 1866 piers earlier this year, some vocal opposition, bolstered by rail startup with ambitious plans to privatize Amtrak’s busy Northeast Corridor, demanded a halt to their removal.Dan Belson, Baltimore Sun, 23 Dec. 2024
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Included in the plans is the possible demolition of the Twitty mansion, which concerned commission leaders due to wanting to preserve the tradition and history of Hendersonville.Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 20 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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Alzheimer's disease was listed as a cause of death for more than 348,000 people (3.9%).Katherine Hignett, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
Noun
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According to an assessment by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Western monarch population has plummeted by more than 95% since the 1980s, and has a 99% chance of extinction by 2080.Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2024
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Like mammoths, mastodons disappeared toward the end of the last ice age, when a series of factors, including climate change and human hunting, drove many large animals to extinction, as Jess Thomson reports for Newsweek.Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Dec. 2024
Noun
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But these successes are what became the show’s undoing.Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 28 Nov. 2024
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Woods falls victim to hysteria, and in an ironic turn, the very hysteria Rodney readily whips up for personal gain proves to be his undoing.Barry Levitt, TIME, 28 Nov. 2024
Noun
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While these young men shifted away from Harris in unanticipated margins, Hogg says Democrats' losses this election are bigger than just one voting bloc -- and hopes that extreme candor and commitments to those groups will not only rebuild but expand the party.Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 16 Dec. 2024
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Jim Harbaugh’s news conference after the Chargers’ 40-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday was part postgame recap and part pregame look-ahead.Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 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 30 Dec. 2024.
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