destroy
/dɪˈstɹɔɪ/ verb A2- 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.
- To neutralize, undo a property or condition. · Smoking destroys the natural subtlety of the palate.
- To put down or euthanize. · Destroying a rabid dog is required by law.
- 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.
- To utterly defeat; to crush. · Remember when Germany destroyed Brazil 7–1 in the World Cup?
- To remove data. · The memory leak happened because we forgot to destroy the temporary lists.
- To exhaust completely and thus recreate or build up. · This exercise is going to destroy all parts of your shoulders.
- To penetrate sexually in an aggressive way. · She got destroyed by her lover on the carpet.
He/she/it destroys · Past destroyed · Past participle destroyed · -ing form destroying
Verb forms
- Base form
- destroy
- He/she/it
- destroys
- Past
- destroyed
- Past participle
- destroyed
- -ing form
- destroying
From the library
neither you nor myself, but Fernand; you knew very well that I threw the paper into a corner of the room—indeed, I fancied I had destroyed it.”
The Wolf, now that he had the opportunity, fell upon the sheep, and destroyed the greater part of the flock.
When the Shepherd returned to find his flock destroyed, he exclaimed: “I have been rightly served; why did I trust my sheep to a Wolf?”
Do you know I always felt a shudder at the idea of even a destroying angel?”
Learn destroy in real texts
With a free account, hover any word in the library for its meaning, hear it read aloud, save words for review timed to your memory, and see how much of each book you already know.