to damage something so badly that it cannot be used
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Most of the old part of the city was destroyed by bombs during the war.
Oxford Essential Dictionary
destroy
verb (destroys, destroying, destroyed )
to break something completely so that you cannot use it again or so that it is gone:
The house was destroyed by fire.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
destroy
de‧stroy S2 W2 /dɪˈstrɔɪ/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[Word Family: noun: destroyer, destruction; adjective: indestructible, destructive; verb: destroy; adverb: destructively]
[Date: 1100-1200; Language: Old French; Origin: destruire, from Latin destruere, from struere 'to build']
1. to damage something so badly that it no longer exists or cannot be used or repaired ⇨ destruction
completely/totally destroy
The school was completely destroyed by fire.
companies that are polluting and destroying the environment
destroy sb’s confidence/hope/faith etc
2. if something destroys someone, it ruins their life completely:
The scandal destroyed Simmons and ended his political career.
3. informal to defeat an opponent easily:
The Bears destroyed the Detroit Lions 35–3.
4. to kill an animal, especially because it is ill or dangerous:
One of the bulls had to be destroyed.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ nouns
▪ destroy the evidence (=deliberately destroy evidence of a crime) They set light to the car to destroy the evidence.
▪ destroy the environment Some of these companies are polluting and destroying the environment.
▪ destroy the world/planet No one wants another war, which might destroy the world.
▪ destroy sb’s career She made one bad mistake and it destroyed her career.
▪ destroy sb’s reputation The scandal destroyed his reputation.
▪ destroy the character of something New buildings have destroyed much of the character of the area.
▪ destroy sb’s hopes Losing the game destroyed the team’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals.
▪ destroy sb’s confidence When he failed his degree, it completely destroyed his confidence.
■ adverbs
▪ completely/totally destroy something The plane was completely destroyed when it hit a mountain.
▪ partially destroy something The Great Fire of 1666 partially destroyed the prison.
■ phrases
▪ be destroyed by fire/a bomb/earthquake etc The building was destroyed by fire in 2004.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ destroy to damage something so badly that it no longer exists or cannot be used or repaired: The earthquake almost completely destroyed the city. | The twin towers were destroyed in a terrorist attack.
▪ devastate to damage a large area very badly and destroy many things in it: Allied bombings in 1943 devastated the city. | The country’s economy has been devastated by years of fighting.
▪ demolish to completely destroy a building, either deliberately or by accident: The original 15th century house was demolished in Victorian times. | The plane crashed into a suburb of Paris, demolishing several buildings.
▪ flatten to destroy a building or town by knocking it down, bombing it etc, so that nothing is left standing: The town centre was flattened by a 500 lb bomb.
▪ wreck to deliberately damage something very badly, especially a room or building: The toilets had been wrecked by vandals. | They just wrecked the place.
▪ trash informal to deliberately destroy a lot of the things in a room, house etc: Apparently, he trashed his hotel room while on drugs.
▪ obliterate formal to destroy a place so completely that nothing remains: The nuclear blast obliterated most of Hiroshima.
▪ reduce something to ruins/rubble/ashes to destroy a building or town completely: The town was reduced to rubble in the First World War.
▪ ruin to spoil something completely, so that it cannot be used or enjoyed: Fungus may ruin the crop. | The new houses will ruin the view.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
destroy
des·troy [destroy destroys destroyed destroying] [dɪˈstrɔɪ] [dɪˈstrɔɪ] verb
1. ~ sth/sb to damage sth so badly that it no longer exists, works, etc
• The building was completely destroyed by fire.
• They've destroyed all the evidence.
• Heat gradually destroys vitamin C.
• You have destroyed my hopes of happiness.
• Failure was slowly destroying him (= making him less and less confident and happy).
2. ~ sth to kill an animal deliberately, usually because it is sick or not wanted
• The injured horse had to be destroyed.
see also soul-destroying
Verb forms:
Word Origin:
Middle English: from Old French destruire, based on Latin destruere, from de- (expressing reversal) + struere ‘build’.
Thesaurus:
destroy verb T
• a mission to destroy the enemy
devastate • • wipe sb/sth out • • annihilate • • eradicate • • decimate • • exterminate • • stamp sth out • |informal zap • |especially written ravage •
Opp: create
destroy/devastate/wipe out/decimate/ravage a village/town/city
destroy/wipe out/decimate/annihilate/exterminate/zap the enemy
a/an earthquake/flood/fire destroys/devastates/ravages sth
Destroy or devastate? Devastate is stronger than destroy, but is only used about places or buildings, not substances or objects. When used about people it has a different meaning.
Word Family:
destroy verb
destroyer noun
destruction noun
destructive adjective
indestructible adjective
Example Bank:
• Drugs can destroy the health and lives of young people.
• He physically destroyed the computer by smashing it to pieces.
• Our greed may ultimately destroy the planet.
• She seemed intent on destroying everything they had built up together.
• That guy just single-handedly destroyed everything we've worked for.
• The bomb hit, instantly destroying the building.
• The building was destroyed by fire last year.
• The earthquake literally destroyed their villages.
• The horse broke a leg and had to be destroyed.
• The rainforest is being systematically destroyed.
• Their lives have been virtually destroyed by this tragedy.
• These weapons are capable of destroying the entire planet.
• This disease threatens to destroy many of our native trees.
• a new attempt to destroy enemy positions
• Failure was slowly destroying him.
• The brigade's mission was to destroy the enemy.
• They've destroyed all the evidence.
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
destroy / dɪˈstrɔɪ / verb [ T ]
B1 to damage something so badly that it cannot be used:
Most of the old part of the city was destroyed by bombs during the war.
The accident seemed to have completely/totally destroyed his confidence.
to kill an animal because it is ill, in pain, or dangerous
Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
destroy
[dɪstrɔ͟ɪ]
destroys, destroying, destroyed
1) VERB To destroy something means to cause so much damage to it that it is completely ruined or does not exist any more.
[V n] That's a sure recipe for destroying the economy and creating chaos...
[V n] No one was injured in the explosion, but the building was completely destroyed...
[V n] Even the most gifted can have confidence destroyed by the wrong instructor.
Syn:
wreck
2) VERB To destroy someone means to ruin their life or to make their situation impossible to bear.
[V n] If I was younger or more naive, the criticism would have destroyed me.
3) VERB: usu passive If an animal is destroyed, it is killed, either because it is ill or because it is dangerous.
[be V-ed] Lindsay was unhurt but the horse had to be destroyed.
Syn:
be put down
4) → See also soul-destroying
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
destroy
de·stroy /dɪˈstroɪ/ verb -stroys; -stroyed; -stroy·ing [+ obj]
1 : to cause (something) to end or no longer exist : to cause the destruction of (something)
• Eventually our problems with money destroyed our marriage.
• All the files were deliberately destroyed.
• The disease destroys the body's ability to fight off illness. : to damage (something) so badly that it cannot be repaired
• The bomb blast destroyed the village.
• The scandal destroyed [=ruined] his reputation.
• The building was partially destroyed [=demolished] by fire.
2 : to kill (an animal) especially because it is sick, injured, or dangerous
• The dog had to be destroyed since its owner could not prevent it from attacking people.
3 informal : to defeat (someone or something) easily or completely
• They destroyed [=demolished] the other team 51–7.