Synonyms

destroy

American

[dih-stroi] / dɪˈstrɔɪ /

verb (used with object)

to reduce (an object) to useless fragments, a useless form, or remains, as by rending, burning, or dissolving; injure beyond repair or renewal; demolish; ruin; annihilate.

Synonyms:

devastate, ravage, waste, level, smash

Antonyms:

create
to put an end to; extinguish.

Synonyms:

uproot, annihilate, extirpate

Antonyms:

create
to kill; slay.
to render ineffective or useless; nullify; neutralize; invalidate.
to defeat completely.

verb (used without object)

to engage in destruction.

destroy British

/ dɪˈstrɔɪ /

verb

to ruin; spoil; render useless
to tear down or demolish; break up; raze
to put an end to; do away with; extinguish
to kill or annihilate
to crush, subdue, or defeat
(intr) to be destructive or cause destruction

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

Destroy, demolish, raze imply reducing a thing to uselessness. To destroy is to reduce something to nothingness or to take away its powers and functions so that restoration is impossible: Fire destroys a building. Disease destroys tissues. To demolish is to destroy something organized or structured: to demolish a machine. To raze is to level down to the ground: to raze a fortress.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of destroy

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English destroyen, from Old French destruire, from Vulgar Latin dēstrūgere (unattested), for Latin dēstruere ( dē- de- + struere “to pick up, build”)

Explanation

When your little brother breaks your carefully constructed Lego village into its tiny parts, he destroys it. To destroy is to completely demolish. To destroy is the opposite of to construct or to build. When you destroy something, you cause destruction, when you build something, you are involved in its construction. In war, soldiers are sometimes sent on missions to search and destroy. This means their job is to find a target and completely take it out. Destroy doesn't have to be physical though. If you get an F in your math class, that could destroy your dream of going to an Ivy League university and too much criticism can destroy your self-esteem.

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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:

destroy destroys destroyed destroying

“In order to build something nice, first you have to destroy something ugly,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

And everyone says, “Ooh, yummy Ottolenghi,” and everybody goes home and does the same thing next time and it’s all a huge conspiracy to destroy people’s ability to cook.

From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2026

Mere days after taking to the media to insist that he is a misunderstood film buff who just wants to save Hollywood, he threatened to help destroy it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

More than 2.4 million people today live with hepatitis C, a viral infection that primarily affects the liver and can ultimately destroy it.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

“That little twerp! I should go wipe that snot off his face right now. How could he do that to you? His only older sister! He’s trying to destroy you!”

From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan

During a crisis, support is often essential to prevent a downward spiral that destroys the financial system.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

It destroys the ties that bind and encourages anger and petulance.

From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026

That’s because if the deal goes through it stands a good chance to fail — failure in this case meaning that the combined company destroys more shareholder value than it creates.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

Another type of immune cell, known as T cells, then seeks out and destroys cells carrying those proteins.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026

A leaky pipe destroys an entire rack of pressed botanical samples: it’s the diamond.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

The store’s electrical system was destroyed, according to OnScene TV.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

“Like the thousands of people who have reached out since this tragedy to share their own experiences, he believed that the system had failed him and destroyed his life,” his lawyer said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun said the storms and flooding have destroyed homes, businesses and infrastructure, and caused power outages for hundreds of thousands of residents at their peak.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Marie Leese escaped the fire with just her dog and her phone, but her beloved garden on Maureen Avenue was destroyed, including a summer house built by her husband before he died.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Down on the lowest level, the low stone wall around the arena field itself was partially destroyed.

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

Around 2,000 had been evacuated from nearby villages as the fire ripped through the surrounding hills, damaging homes and destroying cars in the early hours.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

Rapid urban growth across Africa has also played its part, transforming landscapes, and destroying many of the tall trees that the birds nest in.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

The most valuable answer may have nothing to do with destroying it.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026

“That’s really kind of disheartening — that we’ve tried our best to mitigate fires ... yet fires are destroying more homes,” said Amanda Carlson, a research scientist with the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

“Tell you one thing. Wishtree or not, this oak is destroying the walkways. Messing with the plumbing, too. Roots go on forever.”

From "Wishtree" by Katherine Applegate

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023