destructor
Americannoun
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destructors
plural
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British. a furnace for the burning of refuse; incinerator.
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Rocketry. a destruct mechanism or device for destroying an off-course airborne missile or launch vehicle.
noun
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a furnace or incinerator for the disposal of refuse, esp one that uses the resulting heat to generate power
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a device used to blow up a dangerously defective missile or rocket after launching
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of destructor
1685–95; < Late Latin dēstructor, equivalent to Latin dēstruc- variant stem of dēstruere ( see destruction) + -tor -tor
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
And Ivy was nominated in honour of a nine-month-old Labrador puppy affectionately known as "the absolute destructor".
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
Two of the biggest disease threats for honey bees, according to the researchers, are DWV and the tiny parasite that spreads it: the Varroa destructor mite.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 14, 2023
The parasitic mite Varroa destructor that helps transmit viruses is the chief culprit, but bad weather and queen issues were also big problems in the past year, Steinhauer said.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 22, 2023
One of the most severe threats to honey bees over the past several decades has been Varroa destructor, a crablike parasitic mite that feeds on honey bees' fat body tissue.
From Salon ● Nov. 12, 2022
They eat the stem, which thus becomes weak, and breaks; but are checked by another insect, called the destructor, otherwise whole crops of wheat would be annihilated.
From The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 12, No. 334, October 4, 1828 by Various
Those claims might amount to more than puffery, even if James Naismith may have failed to comprehend the roles of destructors and ambassadors in his beloved game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2020
“Well, of course you know about the time the pseudomen from the Fifth managed to sneak in and lay a mess of their destructors on Carnol?”
From The Weakling by H. R. van Dongen
This type of cell was largely used during the early period of the history of destructors, but has to a considerable extent given place to furnaces of more modern design.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 2 "Demijohn" to "Destructor" by Various
As to the initial cost of the erection of refuse destructors, few trustworthy data can be given.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 3 "Destructors" to "Diameter" by Various
He was particularly severe on our artificial hoofs, as he called our boots, and our hats or hair destructors.
From A Modern Utopia by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
