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

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

"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

“Because it is not possible to put the rocket into the planned orbit, we sent a destruct signal to the rocket,” minutes later at 10:51 a.m.

From Washington Post • Mar. 7, 2023

The sooner more high school kids realize they are better off without high schools the better so to force the system to creatively destruct.

From New York Times • Apr. 25, 2017

He was actually risking his life—or so he believed—to prove that the child could not destruct a human being.

From When I Grow Up by Lowe, Richard E.