destroy
[verb]
Synonyms: ruin, annihilate, crush, demolish, devastate, eradicate, shatter, wipe out, wreck

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Contrasted words: establish, found, institute, organize, fabricate, fashion, forge, form, make, manufacture, shape, conserve, preserve, protect, save
Related Idioms: blow to bits, bring to an end, dispose of, tear to shreds
Related Words: abolish, extinguish, devastate, pillage, ravage, sack, waste, eradicate, exterminate, extirpate, wipe, mangle, mutilate, rubble, doom

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English Thesaurus: destroy, devastate, demolish, flatten, wreck, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

de‧stroy S2 W2 /dɪˈstrɔɪ/ 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.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

destroy
verb
I. damage sth so badly that it no longer exists
ADV. completely, entirely, totally, utterly | all but, almost, effectively, practically, virtually Their lives have been virtually destroyed by this tragedy.
largely | partly | systematically The rainforest is being systematically destroyed.
by fire The building was destroyed by fire last year.
VERB + DESTROY can/could Drugs can destroy the health and lives of young people.
threaten to This disease threatens to destroy many of our native trees.
PHRASES an attempt to destroy sth a new attempt to destroy enemy positions
be capable of destroying sth These weapons are capable of destroying the entire planet.
be intent on destroying sth She seemed intent on destroying everything they had built up together.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

destroy
II. kill an animal
ADV. humanely
PHRASES have to be destroyed The horse broke a leg and had to be destroyed.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

destroy

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.
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.
be destroyed by fire/a bomb/earthquake etc
The building was destroyed by fire in 2004.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

destroy
verb
1.
BAD: This unpleasant man with his endless complaints destroyed my journey.
GOOD: This unpleasant man with his endless complaints spoilt my journey.

Usage Note:
When you mean 'remove the pleasure or enjoyment from', use spoil or ruin (= spoil completely): 'The trip was spoilt by bad weather.' 'I've spent weeks planning this surprise party for Dad, and now you've ruined it by telling him.'

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2.
BAD: The water had been much too hot and most of the clothes were destroyed.
GOOD: The water had been much too hot and most of the clothes were ruined.

Usage Note:
When you mean 'make something less attractive, effective or useful', use spoil or ruin (= spoil completely): 'I didn't join them on their walk because I didn't want to spoil my new shoes.' 'If you open the camera, you'll ruin the film.'

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3.
BAD: The bus wasn't badly damaged, but the car was completely destroyed.
GOOD: The bus wasn't badly damaged, but the car was a write-off.

Usage Note:
A vehicle that cannot be used again after being damaged in a road accident is wrecked or (especially in spoken English) is a write-off : 'I was stupid enough to lend him my car, and now it's a write-off!' 'Wrecked vehicles lay abandoned along the roadside.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

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.
accident an event in which a vehicle is damaged and often someone is hurt:
Her father died in a car accident.
Hugh had an accident on his way to work.
crash a serious accident in which a vehicle hits something else:
Rees-Jones was the only person to survive the crash.
a car/plane/train crash
He was killed in a plane crash.
collision an accident in which two or more cars, trains etc hit each other:
His car was involved in a collision with a train.
⇒ a head-on collision (=between vehicles that are driving towards each other):
The actor was killed in a head-on collision while driving his new sports car.
disaster a serious accident involving a train, plane, or boat, in which a lot of people are killed or injured:
It was Britain’s worst air disaster.
pile-up an accident that involves several cars or trucks:
The pile-up happened in thick fog.
There was a 12-car pile-up on the motorway.
fender-bender American English informal
, prang British English informal a car accident in which little damage is done:
Atkinson was involved in a fender-bender in the hotel parking lot.
At 15, he borrowed his parents’ car and had a prang.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

rubbish especially British English things that people throw away, such as old food, dirty paper etc:
People are being encouraged to recycle their household rubbish.
the rubbish bin
garbage/trash American English rubbish:
The garbage is collected every Tuesday.
There were piles of trash in the backyard.
a black plastic garbage bag
refuse formal rubbish:
The strike has disrupted refuse collection.
It’s a site which is used for domestic refuse.
litter empty bottles, pieces of paper etc that people have dropped on the ground:
Parents should teach children not to drop litter.
There was a lot of litter on the beach.
waste rubbish, or materials that need to be dealt with after they have been used in industrial processes:
nuclear waste
toxic waste
household waste
The company was fined for dumping toxic waste in the sea.
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.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲