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
- self-destroyer noun
Etymology
Origin of destroyer
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English destroiere (compare Old French destruiere ); destroy, -er 1
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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.
Shelley was a seaman gunner on the destroyer HMS Milne on D-Day and guarded troops going ashore during the Normandy landings in June 1944.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
That rebel group put heavy pressure on U.S. forces and aircraft carriers, contributing to a number of accidents, including one where a U.S. destroyer shot down an American jet.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026
Navy destroyer in the eastern Mediterranean shot down the missile, a U.S. official and a regional official said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026
Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Tuesday that he was deploying HMS Dragon, a Type 45 defence destroyer to aid Britain's "defensive operations" in the region.
From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026
"Flight," a voice said over the radio, "US destroyer Stockton reports debris falling from the sky. Source matches last known location of Iris."
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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.
