English Explanatory Dictionary

destroy

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb

To damage beyond use or repair; to damage (something) to the point that it effectively ceases to exist.
To neutralize, undo a property or condition.
To put down or euthanize.
To severely disrupt the well-being of (a person); ruin.
To utterly defeat; to crush.
To remove data.
To exhaust completely and thus recreate or build up.
To penetrate sexually in an aggressive way.
To sing a song extremely poorly.
To eat food quickly, hungrily or completely.

Pronunciation

/dɪˈstɹɔɪ/ en-us-destroy.ogg LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-destroy.wav

Word forms

destroy destroys destroying destroyed

Etymology

From Middle English destroyen, from Old French destruire, Vulgar Latin *destrugō, from Classical Latin dēstruō, from dē- (“un-, de-”) + struō (“to build”).

Synonyms

annihilate break demolish kill ruin waste destroy aerosolize atomize benothing bewreck blot out blotto dash decompose desolate devastate diffuse disintegrate disperse dissolve eliminate eradicate erase exterminate extinguish extirpate fordo fuck harry jazz lay waste level liquidate nuke obliterate overthrow overturn pull down pulverize race raze ravage ravel remove ruinate stamp out total subvert unbreed unexist unmake uproot wipe out wipe off wreck

Antonyms

build construct create make raise repair produce rebuild recover

Related words

destruct destructible destruction destructive

Derived words

destroyability destroyable destroyal Destroy Dick December destroyed jeans destroyer destroyer escort destroying angel destroyingly downstroy redestroy undestroy undestroyed

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