verb
destroy
dih-STROY/dɪˈstrɔɪ/
To damage something beyond continued survival or function.
A heavy beam crushes the wooden chair and completely destroys it.
Etymology
The underlying image is “un-building”: undoing what has been piled or built. Tearing down a structure provides the concrete connection to ruining something completely or putting an end to it.
In context
The Seljic Empire tried to destroy them for two centuries and failed. The Mongols finally demolished their castles in 1256, but even then they did not disappear.
More examples
- The fire destroyed every house on the block.
- Water can destroy the phone's delicate circuits.
- Our team destroyed its biggest rival in the final.
Forms
destroy · destroys · destroyed · destroying
destruction noun — The act of ruining something completely.
destroyer noun — Someone or something that causes complete ruin.