destroy

From Middle English destroyen, from Old French destruire, Vulgar Latin *destrugō, from Classical Latin dēstruō, from dē- (“un-, de-”) + struō (“to build”).

• IPA^(key): /dɪˈstɹɔɪ/

• Audio (US):

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• Audio (Southern England):

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• Rhymes: -ɔɪ
• Hyphenation: de‧stroy

destroy (third-person singular simple present destroys, present participle destroying, simple past and past participle destroyed)

2. (ambitransitive) To damage beyond use or repair; to damage (something) to the point that it effectively ceases to exist.

   The earthquake destroyed several apartment complexes.

   Hooligans destroy unprovoked.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, John 2:19:

     Iesus answered, and said vnto them, Destroy this temple, and in three dayes I will raise it vp.

   • 1972 November 5, Joan Lee Faust, “AROUND THE Garden”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:

     Repeated use of this type of [water] on plants results in deflocculation[] of the soil. Good quality soil consists of loose aggregates which provide natural aeration and ease of root run. Sodium accumulation in soil destroys this natural flocculation and causes the soil to pack.

   • 2013, Steven McLaughlin, Clubland UK: On the Door in the Rave Era:

     Krav is a martial art of last resort that assumes no quarter and focuses purely on disarming, disabling and, if necessary, destroying your opponent.

3. (transitive) To neutralize, undo a property or condition.

   Smoking destroys the natural subtlety of the palate.

4. (transitive) To put down or euthanize.

   Destroying a rabid dog is required by law.

5. (transitive) To severely disrupt the well-being of (a person); ruin.

   Her divorce destroyed her; she had a nervous breakdown and was severely depressed for more than a year.

   • 2005, Kliatt Young Adult Paperback Book Guide:

     Other girls in the foster home are eager to destroy her and get her kicked out of the place. It's a tough situation.

6. (transitive, informal) To utterly defeat; to crush.

   Remember when Germany destroyed Brazil 7–1 in the World Cup?

   • 2012 November 11, Sam Anderson, “The Oklahoma City Thunder's Fairy-Tale Rise”, in The New York Times Magazine‎^[2], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 10 April 2023:

     Growing up, [Kevin] Durant told me, he was a sore loser. That all changed one day when he was 11, after he got destroyed by his father in a game of one on one in the driveway.

7. (transitive, computing) To remove data.

   The memory leak happened because we forgot to destroy the temporary lists.

8. (transitive, bodybuilding, slang, antiphrasis) To exhaust completely and thus recreate or build up.

   This exercise is going to destroy all parts of your shoulders.

9. (transitive, slang, vulgar) To penetrate sexually in an aggressive way.

   She got destroyed by her lover on the carpet.

10. (transitive, US, slang) To sing a song extremely poorly.
    • 2001, Jeff Nathanson, Rush Hour 2‎^[3], New Line Cinema:

      JAMES CARTER: The man's destroying a classic!

11. (transitive, slang) To eat food quickly, hungrily or completely.

    I could destroy some wings right now.

See Thesaurus:destroy.

• stroyed

destroy

1. (Late Middle English) alternative form of destroyen