destroyer
Americannoun
-
destroyers
plural
-
a person or thing that destroys.
-
a fast, relatively small, warship armed mainly with 5-inch (13-centimeter) guns.
noun
-
a small fast lightly armoured but heavily armed warship
-
a person or thing that destroys
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of destroyer
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English destroiere (compare Old French destruiere ); see destroy, -er 1
Compare meaning
How does destroyer compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
See Examples For:
He added that the escort destroyer ships policing the blockade of Iran “are just as bad off, if not worse.”
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
That impression was not helped by the tardiness of mobilising the destroyer HMS Dragon – built by BAE - to provide air cover for Cyprus against Iranian and Hezbollah threats.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
The destroyer had sailed to the area alongside two other Chinese naval vessels and a Russian frigate, the ministry said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
This motley pile, big enough to man a destroyer, is working together to literally support their sister’s audacious rise.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
He was the talented but malevolent destroyer of republican government.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
The Zumwalt class of naval destroyers was lauded for its “affordable and flexible design.”
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
The Royal Navy's ageing but capable Type 45 destroyers will no longer be replaced by the planned Type 83 destroyers.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
The MoD had been exploring options to replace the Type 45, the Navy's ageing fleet of destroyers, with the Type 83, a concept vessel which was at an early design phase.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
Navy destroyers stationed in Japan and now serves as executive director of YCAPS, a nonprofit focused on security issues in Asia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
He had only to complete this night, to keep the story out of the reach of the destroyers for a few more hours, and their witchery would turn, upon itself, upon them.
From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko
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.
