as in to implode
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Recent Examples of self-destruct
Three minutes after that, the rocket's self-destruct system triggered an explosion that broke the Starship apart, producing a spectacular shower of flaming debris that rained down along the flight path.
—
William Harwood, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2025
When these spores germinate, the bacteria eat away at the plastic, causing it to self-destruct.
—Michael Dennis, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025
Others, like veteran strategist James Carville, think Trump’s opponents should simply hold their fire and let the Administration self-destruct.
—Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 3 Mar. 2025
Feeling pushed out, Torborg took the Mets’ generous offer.
Keenan, a noted control freak, self-destructed with the Hawks in 1992, months after his most memorable contribution to Hawks lore — putting star Jeremy Roenick in a cast during Game 2 of the ’92 Stanley Cup Final in Pittsburgh.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-destruct
William Harwood, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2025
When these spores germinate, the bacteria eat away at the plastic, causing it to self-destruct.
—Michael Dennis, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025
Others, like veteran strategist James Carville, think Trump’s opponents should simply hold their fire and let the Administration self-destruct.
—Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 3 Mar. 2025
Feeling pushed out, Torborg took the Mets’ generous offer.
Keenan, a noted control freak, self-destructed with the Hawks in 1992, months after his most memorable contribution to Hawks lore — putting star Jeremy Roenick in a cast during Game 2 of the ’92 Stanley Cup Final in Pittsburgh.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-destruct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-destruct
Verb
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But, unlike the Citizens’ many collapses this season, his side did not implode.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
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City, imperious under Pep Guardiola for so long, imploded in the autumn and on Christmas Day, sat seventh.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
The Athletic,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
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When workers suspect the game is rigged in favor of the boss's nephew or the CEO's daughter, the belief that hard work leads to recognition—the backbone of productive workplaces—begins to crumble.—
Jonathan H. Westover,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
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The Wild, who are crumbling at the seams, fell to 1-4-2 in their past seven thanks to an 0-1-2 road trip.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Cubs right-hander Colin Rea filling an important role The life of a reliever, especially one in a swing role, often goes under the radar.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2025
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In Cape Coral, 379 homes went under contract in February, down 14.4 percent from a year earlier, and 44.9 percent of for-sale homes—almost half—had price reductions, up 5.6 percent from a year earlier.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-destruct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-destruct. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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