destruct

American  

[dih-struhkt] / dɪˈstrʌkt /

adjective

1. serving or designed to destroy.

   a destruct mechanism on a missile.

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noun

1. the act or process of intentional destruction.

   One out of ten launchings ended in destructs.

verb (used with object)

1. to destroy.

verb (used without object)

1. to be destroyed.

destruct British  

/ dɪˈstrʌkt /

verb

1. to destroy (one's own missile or rocket) for safety

2. (intr) (of a missile or rocket) to be destroyed, for safety, by those controlling it; self-destruct

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noun

1. the act of destructing

adjective

1. designed to be capable of destroying itself or the object, system, or installation containing it

   destruct mechanism

Etymology

Origin of destruct

First recorded in 1630–40; back formation from destruction

Explanation

When you destruct something, you destroy or wreck it. A developer might buy an old building in order to destruct it and build a shiny new one in its place. The verb destruct isn't as common as its relatives, destructive, destruction, and self-destruct, but you can use it to mean "wipe out" or "destroy." Your doctor might worry that your lack of sleep and frequent soda drinking will destruct your health, and a kindergartner will probably wail in frustration if her little brother destructs her Lego creation. Destruct comes from destruction, most likely as 1950's US defense industry jargon.

Example Sentences

By combining their results, researchers can better study neutrinos and their antimatter counterparts, offering insight into why the universe did not self destruct immediately after the Big Bang.

From Science Daily • Mar. 3, 2026

Lincoln Riley needs a laminated, and larger, play card that doesn’t self destruct, along with his team, in bad weather.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 25, 2025

"It would be wrong now to say we want to react and destruct. This is not in the team. We are not a team that wants to destruct."

From BBC • Jul. 12, 2025

“A destruct command has been transmitted to H3 ... because there was no possibility of achieving the mission,” the agency said in a brief memo.

From Washington Post • Mar. 7, 2023

"Knowing that viruses propagate from one program to another according to specific rules, it would not be unreasonable to assume that almost every micro-computer in the United States is getting ready to self destruct."

From Terminal Compromise: computer terrorism: when privacy and freedom are the victims: a novel by Schwartau, Winn