destroyer

[ dih-stroi-er ]

noun

1. a person or thing that destroys.
2. a fast, relatively small, warship armed mainly with 5-inch (13-centimeter) guns.

destroyer

/ dɪˈstrɔɪə /

noun

1. a small fast lightly armoured but heavily armed warship
2. a person or thing that destroys

Other Words From

• self-de·stroyer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of destroyer¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English destroiere (compare Old French destruiere ); destroy, -er ¹

Example Sentences

Left-wing NGOs have denounced him as a fascist, a destroyer of democracy.

From Washington Blade

Broad was not, as his critics would have liked to paint him, an evil destroyer of public education.

From Voice of San Diego

You can hear the destroyer coming and dropping the depth charges into the water, it’s just a matter of time.

From Washington Post

Barnes & Noble has been tagged as either the savior or the destroyer of the book industry in its 100-year history.

From Fortune

The oil palm is a Shiva of the modern consumer economy, a great creator and a great destroyer.

From Nautilus

The USS Arleigh Burke, a destroyer, and USS Philippine Sea, a cruiser, launched a total of 47 Tomahawk missiles.

From The Daily Beast

He was in the forward gun turret where the destroyer hit us.

From The Daily Beast

During a night operation in the Solomon Islands in 1943, the patrol torpedo boat he commanded was rammed by a Japanese destroyer.

From The Daily Beast

He was not a destroyer seeking to become exceptional by killing.

From The Daily Beast

Some see all significance in the grim front of the destroyer, and some in the bitter sufferers of the Lost Cause.

From The Daily Beast

But the rumble of distant guns told the destroyer that his short-lived hour of triumph was nearly sped.

From Project Gutenberg

Left on a picket boat with Birdie to board my destroyer to an accompaniment of various denominations of projectiles.

From Project Gutenberg

When the Turks saw a destroyer come bustling up at an unusual hour they said to themselves, "fee faw fum!"

From Project Gutenberg

Instead of being a destroyer of merchandise, this new craft was an unarmed carrier of merchandise.

From Project Gutenberg

The great mission of the submarine during the European war was as a commerce destroyer.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• battleship
• ship
• warship