destroy

destroy — verb

1. to damage a thing, place, or idea so completely that it is left ruined and unusa

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to damage a thing, place, or idea so completely that it is left ruined and unusable, with no possibility of being repaired, saved, or recovered

Example

The earthquake destroyed hundreds of buildings in the city's old quarter.

passive: be destroyed by [natural force]

Yan accidentally destroyed her laptop when coffee spilled over the keyboard.

Common collocations
  • completely destroy
  • totally destroy
  • destroy a building
  • destroy evidence
  • destroy the environment
  • destroy someone's confidence
Synonyms
  • ruin

    Focuses on loss of value or function; often used for plans, clothes, or abstract things rather than structures

  • demolish

    Specifically means to tear down a building or structure, often deliberately

  • wreck

    Implies sudden, violent damage; common with vehicles (wreck a car)

  • devastate

    Carries emotional weight; can describe widespread destruction or emotional impact

Antonyms
  • build

    To construct or create, the opposite of destroying

  • repair

    To fix something that is damaged, rather than ruining it completely

  • preserve

    To keep something in its existing state and prevent damage

Grammar Patterns

destroy + noun phrase

be destroyed by + agent

Usage Note

Common in the passive voice (be destroyed by something). Also used figuratively with abstract objects such as reputation, hope, or confidence — a pattern not shared by physical-damage synonyms like demolish or knock down.

Common Mistakes

The storm damaged my car so badly I could not drive it.
The storm destroyed my car so badly I could not drive it.
'damage' means partial harm; 'destroy' means complete ruin beyond use.
She destroyed the cake by cutting it into pieces.
She cut the cake into pieces.
'destroy' is too strong for everyday actions that do not involve total ruin.
The virus destroyed his computer files but some could be recovered.
The virus damaged his computer files, but some could be recovered.
If anything can be recovered or repaired, use 'damage', not 'destroy'.

2. to kill a sick, injured, or dangerous animal in a controlled way, usually to sto

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to kill a sick, injured, or dangerous animal in a controlled way, usually to stop it from suffering or to protect people and other animals

Example

The vet destroyed the injured horse to end its suffering.

collocation: destroy + injured / sick animal

The farmer had to destroy three pigs after the disease was found on his farm.

Common collocations
  • destroy an animal
  • destroy a dog / cat / horse
  • humanely destroy
  • destroy diseased livestock
Synonyms
  • put down

    Informal and much more common in everyday conversation; softer tone

  • euthanize

    Technical term used mainly in veterinary medicine; implies a painless death to end suffering

  • put to sleep

    Euphemistic; often used with pets to soften the emotional impact

Antonyms
  • save

    To rescue or treat an animal instead of killing it

  • nurse back to health

    To care for an animal until it recovers from illness or injury

Grammar Patterns

destroy + animal noun phrase

Usage Note

Object must be an animal, never a person. This sense is formal and typical in veterinary or official contexts; in everyday speech, alternatives such as put down or put to sleep are more common.

Common Mistakes

The vet destroyed the cat.' (without context)
The vet destroyed the dying cat to end its pain.
Without specifying illness, injury, or danger, this use sounds confusing or excessively harsh.
The soldier destroyed the enemy.
The soldier killed the enemy.
'destroy' with human beings is not used in modern English and sounds dehumanising.

3. to beat an opponent or competitor very easily and by a large margin in a sport,

3.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to beat an opponent or competitor very easily and by a large margin in a sport, game, or business situation

Example

The home team destroyed the visitors 5–0 in the cup final.

sports: destroy + opponent + score

Hamza destroyed the defending champion in three straight sets last night.

Common collocations
  • destroy the competition
  • destroy an opponent
  • destroy a rival
  • completely destroy in a game
Synonyms
  • crush

    Similarly informal and emphatic; common in both sports and business

  • thrash

    Informal, especially British English; suggests a humiliating defeat

  • trounce

    Slightly more formal than destroy or crush; implies a decisive victory

Antonyms
  • lose to

    The simple opposite — to be defeated by someone

  • be beaten by

    Passive construction indicating the opposite outcome

Grammar Patterns

destroy + opponent / competitor

Usage Note

Informal. Usually takes an opponent or competitor as object. Common in sports journalism and competitive business language. Cannot be used literally — it is an emphatic substitute for beat or defeat.

Common Mistakes

Our team destroyed the match 3–1.
Our team destroyed the other team 3
1.' — 'destroy' takes the opponent as its object, not the game or match.
I destroyed my exam and got a top score.
I did very well on my exam and got a top score.
'destroy' does not mean 'do extremely well at something' in standard English.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Destroy, ruin, demolish, wreck, and devastate all mean to damage something badly, but they differ in scope and tone. Destroy is the most general word — it applies to physical objects, abstract ideas, and even living things. Ruin focuses on loss of value or function (you can ruin a dress, a plan, or a reputation). Demolish is specific to pulling down structures, often deliberately and by force. Wreck implies sudden, violent destruction, most often of vehicles or mechanical things. Devastate carries heavy emotional weight and is used for widespread destruction of regions or communities, and it also works as an emotional verb (she was devastated by the news). In physical contexts, demolish and wreck suggest the most forceful damage; ruin is closer to 'spoil beyond repair'; destroy sits neutrally between them. For example, an earthquake can destroy a town (general), a developer demolishes a block of flats (deliberate), a drunk driver wrecks a car (violent), and a bombing campaign devastates a city (emotional + widespread).

ruin ↗demolishwreck ↗devastate ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • beyond repair
  • in the process

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Destroy comes from Latin destruere, where de- means 'down' or 'un-' and struere means 'to build'. So the original meaning was 'to un-build' or 'to pull down something that has been built.' It passed into English through Old French destruire. The sense of killing an animal developed later, in the 19th century, while the sports and business sense of 'decisively defeating' is a 20th-century informal extension.