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Synonyms

destruction

American  
[dih-struhk-shuhn] / dɪˈstrʌk ʃən /

noun

  1. the act of destroying.

    wanton destruction of a town.

  2. the condition of being destroyed; demolition; annihilation.

  3. a cause or means of destroying.

destruction British  
/ dɪˈstrʌkʃən /

noun

  1. the act of destroying or state of being destroyed; demolition

  2. a cause of ruin or means of destroying

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

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.