destroyer
Americannoun
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a person or thing that destroys.
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a fast, relatively small, warship armed mainly with 5-inch (13-centimeter) guns.
noun
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a small fast lightly armoured but heavily armed warship
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a person or thing that destroys
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of destroyer
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English destroiere (compare Old French destruiere ); see destroy, -er 1
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Vocabulary lists containing destroyer
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.
The Type 45 Destroyer had been earmarked to carry out a different mission - before Sir Keir Starmer confirmed on Tuesday that HMS Dragon would be deployed to the Mediterranean region.
From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026
Belgium’s Amenra, headlining Thursday, is one of half a dozen international bands performing alongside Friday and Saturday headliners, Forbidden and Weekend Nachos, as well as locals like Seattle’s Undulation, Nox Novacula and Oxygen Destroyer.
From Seattle Times • May 3, 2024
Something-something about a weapon called the Arculon Destroyer that everybody wants and then there’s robot mayhem?
From New York Times • May 12, 2023
Los Angeles wrestling’s splashy news coverage went both ways: It helped anoint American wrestlers such as “Classy” Freddie Blassie and The Destroyer as bonafide pop culture icons in Japan.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2023
“Great spirit,” the chief of the priests wails, “ghostly Destroyer, defend the people of Scyld and kill their enemy, the terrible world-rim-walker!”
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
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.
