destroyer
Americannoun
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destroyers
plural
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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
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Vocabulary lists containing destroyer
Example Sentences
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It arrived in eastern Thailand along with the USS Frank E. Petersen Jr., a guided-missile destroyer that had also been deployed in the Middle East, and the USS Robert Smalls, a guided-missile cruiser.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 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
Britain said in May it was sending a destroyer to the region, and Italy has made two minehunters available.
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
Together they saw the tragedy and humiliation of their Table, from which no man was willing to save them— knew that the Queen of it was called, by common breath, a destroyer of good knights.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Orizzonte Sistemi Navali signed a 3.7 billion euro agreement to supply two destroyers to the Italian navy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
He said the eight sailors included "the Lincoln crew and sailors from the carrier airwing, strike group and destroyer squadron staff, escorting destroyers and all embarked aviation squadrons".
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
The Zumwalt class of naval destroyers was lauded for its “affordable and flexible design.”
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
Meanwhile, the U.K. recently said it would build vessels designed to act as mother ships to drones instead of replacing its fleet of destroyers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
On December 11, a vast force, including eleven destroyers and light cruisers, launched an invasion attempt.
From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand
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