DESTROY Synonyms: 203 Similar and Opposite Words

destroy

verb

di-ˈstrȯi

Definition of destroy

as in to ruin

to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of they practically destroyed the safe in order to get at the money inside their poor scores on the final exam destroyed any chance they might have had to pass the course

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to ravage

to bring destruction to (something) through violent action wildfires destroyed thousands of acres in forests across the state

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to kill

to deprive of life regrettably, the veterinarian was forced to destroy the injured horse

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of destroy The United States began bombing Iran on February 28 with the goal of destroying the country’s nuclear program, its missile program, and even its government, only to fail spectacularly at each objective. — Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026 The air force said that five missiles and 155 drones were destroyed or neutralized, with impacts reported across 18 locations. — David Brennan, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026 Figure needed to destroy proprietary hardware without exposing custom components or intellectual property. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2026 Jains typically do not eat root vegetables because harvesting them destroys the whole plant and harms life-forms around it. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for destroy

Recent Examples of Synonyms for destroy

Verb

On Monday, workers hauled out a 200-pound piece of equipment that was ruined by the saltwater and sand carried in on the high tides.

— Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026
So our goal is to learn how to maximize AI budgets, not ration them and ruin productivity gains.

— Konstantin Klyagin, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of ruin

Verb

My dad believed this outpatient clinic — which cost nearly $10,000 a week — could save him from the Stage 4 lung cancer ravaging his body.

— Trisha Thadani Kirsten Potter Tanya Pérez Devin Murphy, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
By then, fire had ravaged the community; the report suggests that incident commanders were unaware of the devastation.

— Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of ravage

Verb

On the politics, his statement summons a legacy-killing disaster by wagering that nothing will go wrong, when something likely will go wrong during his presidency.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
Mothers Against Drunk Driving, or MADD, was founded in 1980 by a mother whose 13-year-old daughter was killed by an intoxicated driver.

— Kent Sepkowitz, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of kill

Verb

And then the way the government dealt with them, which was to just demolish them, is also kind of prescient.

— Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir attended the demolition and said Israeli authorities had demolished more than 10,000 structures built without permits over the past year and a half.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of demolish

Verb

Pi-o wins the competition, but is devastated at the disappearance of his friend.

— Kayti Burt, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
The goal, Ukrainian officials and military experts say, is to devastate Ukraine’s economy — and the country’s ability to sustain the war effort — while breaking the population’s will to fight by making everyday life increasingly difficult.

— Constant Méheut, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of devastate

Verb

And then the game starts, the nerves dissipate, and the opponent is methodically slayed.

— Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
As global markets demanded higher performance thresholds, Gaydon answered with the ferocious Aston Martin DBX707, a high-velocity machine with premium luxury credentials plus supercar-slaying straight-line velocity.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of slay

Verb

Still, the channel has always proven to be resilient — a veritable phoenix that keeps rising stronger and ever more creative after world-shattering events such as 9/11, the SARS outbreak and the 2008 world financial crisis.

— Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026
Downtown Los Angeles broke a daily heat record Monday with the mercury reaching 104 degrees, shattering the previous record of 101 set in 1954 and tied in 1971.

— Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of shatter

Verb

If checking your score reliably wrecks your morning, the device isn’t working for you.

— J. David Creswell, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026
Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick crossed the line while wrecking after Larson hit the wall trying to chase down Briscoe on the final turn.

— Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of wreck

Browse Nearby Words

de-stressing

destroy

destroyed

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Destroy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destroy. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of destroy

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

inscrutable

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes