self-destruct
Americanverb (used without object)
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to destroy itself or oneself.
The missile is built so that a malfunction will cause it to self-destruct.
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to cause itself or oneself to reach a state of collapse, dysfunction, confusion, or the like.
The committee is so disorganized it will probably self-destruct before it can accomplish anything.
adjective
verb
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(intr) to explode or disintegrate automatically as a result of pre-programming
the missile self-destructed
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to destroy oneself, one's reputation, etc, through one's habits or actions
I totally self-destructed with drugs
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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self-destructsimple
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self-destructssimple
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have self-destructedperfect
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has self-destructedperfect
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am self-destructingprogressive
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are self-destructingprogressive
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is self-destructingprogressive
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have been self-destructingperfect progressive
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has been self-destructingperfect progressive
Past
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self-destructedsimple
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had self-destructedperfect
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was self-destructingprogressive
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were self-destructingprogressive
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had been self-destructingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of self-destruct
An Americanism dating back to 1965–70
Explanation
When something self-destructs, it destroys itself. In the military, weapons such as land mines are intended to self-destruct. There are bombs and rocket boosters that are programmed to self-destruct as they perform their jobs, and you can also use this verb in a figurative way when someone acts in a way that harms themselves. If your friend is missing school, failing tests, and alienating his friends, you might worry that you're watching him self-destruct. The first known use of self-destruct was in the 1960s TV show "Mission: Impossible."
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.
See Examples For:
That self-destruct mechanism has persisted for 600 million years because organisms that kept it outcompeted those that lost it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 2, 2026
Getafe continued to self-destruct and Sancris was sent off for a second yellow card, gained for another unneccessary foul on Vinicius, leaving Jose Bordalas's side with nine men.
From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2025
Then around Christmas in 2013, Kinch’s career began to self-destruct.
From Salon ● Jan. 7, 2025
Exeter, who had taken an early lead through Manu Feyi-Waboso, had no answer to the home momentum as the match progressed, pressing the self-destruct button by giving up penalty after penalty.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2024
Just a few external monitors, and a self-destruct device should the bay be discovered.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
While most social networks focus on a central feed, Snapchat revolves around a user’s inbox of private “snaps” — the photos and videos they exchange with friends, each of which self-destructs after being viewed.
From Washington Post ● May 5, 2022
"Given that this system is an analog to our own solar system, it suggests that Jupiter and Saturn might survive the Sun's red giant phase, when it runs out of nuclear fuel and self-destructs."
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2021
He self-destructs in the end, but only after finishing off the toxic-masculinity robot first.
From Slate ● Nov. 1, 2019
She takes the spotlight from him, and he self-destructs into oblivion.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 28, 2018
The title track is a pulse-raising duet with The Weeknd, while Summer Bummer almost self-destructs, dissolving into digital noise and blacked-out beats, with Lana's vocals barely holding the song together.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2017
His record high price is the $25.4 million resale in 2021 of that partially self-destructed view of a girl reaching for a floating-away balloon at Sotheby’s, renamed “Love is in the Bin.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026
The company nevertheless considers the flight a success, having exceeded milestones set by the gargantuan rocket’s first test flight in April, which ended when it self-destructed at an altitude of 39 kilometers.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 18, 2023
Gloucester had entirely self-destructed when referee Matthew Carley showed Jack Clement a yellow card for pulling down the maul and a penalty try was awarded.
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2023
But four minutes and 24 miles into the flight, Starship malfunctioned and automatically self-destructed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2023
And now, in 1990, the system he helped create had self-destructed.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
What makes Melissa unusual is that it stalled and intensified in the same spot -- a sign that the water was so warm, and the warmth ran so deep, it avoided the usual self-destructing effect.
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2025
The community group Crane Boulevard Safety Coalition had challenged the city’s use of disappearing messages, contending that it amounted to a secret, self-destructing communications channel for city business.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2025
In a review of Chernobyl, the LA Times said: "Tragic roles seem to find Harris, likely because he's a master at conveying grace under pressure while internally imploding, then eventually self-destructing or disappearing altogether."
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2023
An altercation with an official ruined a special season: Fulham was in cruise control at Manchester United before self-destructing in spectacular fashion.
From New York Times ● Mar. 22, 2023
The self-destructing tape never told the mission-impossible team how to complete their impossible mission, but the team always seemed to know.
From "The Great Gilly Hopkins" by Katherine Paterson
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.
