destruction
Americannoun
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the act of destroying.
wanton destruction of a town.
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the condition of being destroyed; demolition; annihilation.
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a cause or means of destroying.
noun
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the act of destroying or state of being destroyed; demolition
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a cause of ruin or means of destroying
Related Words
See ruin.
Other Word Forms
- nondestruction noun
- predestruction noun
- semidestruction noun
Etymology
Origin of destruction
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English (from Anglo-French ), from Latin dēstructiōn- (stem of dēstructiō ), equivalent to dēstruct(us) (past participle of dēstruere; destroy ) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Destruction is damage so bad, things must be replaced, not fixed. Tornadoes often leave a trail of destruction, damaging neighborhoods and knocking down houses. The Latin word destructionem, "a pulling down," is the root of destruction. When destruction strikes, things do get pulled down — from houses in the case of natural disasters or a big display of canned soups in the case of a careless shopper. Sometimes, destruction refers to death, as when critics of war talk about the resulting destruction of human life.
Vocabulary lists containing destruction
Biodiversity and Humans - Middle School and High School
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Biodiversity and Humans - Introductory
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"Fire and Ice"
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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.
It also bans nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction on the moon or in Earth’s orbit.
From Salon • Apr. 9, 2026
“I want to believe what he meant is we will destroy the regime. I don’t think we can accept any destruction, total or partial, of Iranian civilization.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
"A lot of people who hate the regime are also outraged at the vast destruction of civilian infrastructure."
From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026
“I do not support the destruction of a ‘whole civilization.’
From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026
Many wrestled with regret over having used the laws of physics, which they revered, to devise a weapon of mass destruction.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
