Definitions for destroy
dɪˈstrɔɪde·stroy

Princeton's WordNet(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. destroy, destruct(verb)

   do away with, cause the destruction or undoing of

   "The fire destroyed the house"

2. destroy, ruin(verb)

   destroy completely; damage irreparably

   "You have ruined my car by pouring sugar in the tank!"; "The tears ruined her make-up"

3. demolish, destroy(verb)

   defeat soundly

   "The home team demolished the visitors"

4. destroy, put down(verb)

   put (an animal) to death

   "The customs agents destroyed the dog that was found to be rabid"; "the sick cat had to be put down"

Wiktionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. destroy(Verb)

   To cause destruction.

   Hooligans destroy unprovoked

   Etymology: destroyen, from destruire, , from Classical destruo, from de- + struo.

2. destroy(Verb)

   To neutralize, undo a property or condition.

   Smoking destroys the natural subtlety of the palate

   Etymology: destroyen, from destruire, , from Classical destruo, from de- + struo.

3. destroy(Verb)

   To put down or euthanize.

   Destroying a rabid dog is required by law.

   Etymology: destroyen, from destruire, , from Classical destruo, from de- + struo.

4. destroy(Verb)

   To defeat soundly.

   Etymology: destroyen, from destruire, , from Classical destruo, from de- + struo.

5. destroy(Verb)

   To remove data.

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

   Etymology: destroyen, from destruire, , from Classical destruo, from de- + struo.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Destroy(verb)

   to unbuild; to pull or tear down; to separate virulently into its constituent parts; to break up the structure and organic existence of; to demolish

2. Destroy(verb)

   to ruin; to bring to naught; to put an end to; to annihilate; to consume

3. Destroy(verb)

   to put an end to the existence, prosperity, or beauty of; to kill

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Destroy

   Destroy! was an American crust punk band from Minneapolis from 1988 to 1994. Vocalist Felix Havoc founded Havoc Records in 1992 as a vehicle for Destroy!'s Burn this Racist System Down 7" EP.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Destroy

   de-stroy′, v.i. to unbuild or pull down: to overturn: to ruin: to put an end to:—pr.p. destroy′ing:—pa.p. destroyed′.—n. Destroy′er. [O. Fr. destruire (Fr. détruire)—L. destruĕre, destructum—de, down, and struĕre, to build.]

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. destroy

   Song lyrics by destroy -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by destroy on the Lyrics.com website.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'destroy' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #4472

2. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'destroy' in Verbs Frequency: #334

How to pronounce destroy?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say destroy in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of destroy in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of destroy in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of destroy in a Sentence

1. Jerry Avorn:

   Making drugs affordable would not destroy innovation.

2. Walter Williams:

   History is not going to be kind to liberals. With their mindless programs, they've managed to do to Black Americans what slavery, Reconstruction, and rank racism found impossible destroy their family and work ethic.

3. Foxconn CEO Terry Gou:

   We don't want to destroy this company. We want to keep this company for another 100 years.

4. Ashton Carter:

   We're going to have to do more in Libya. ISIL is becoming a magnet for groups that previously existed in some cases and that are now re-branding themselves as ISIL, but it's worse than that because ... they're also gaining energy from the movement in Iraq and Syria, which is why we need to destroy it in Iraq and Syria.

5. Margaret Mead:

   The United States has the power to destroy the world, but not the power to save it alone.

Images & Illustrations of destroy

Popularity rank by frequency of use