1
as in ruining
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
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2
as in ravaging
to bring destruction to (something) through violent action
wildfires destroyed thousands of acres in forests across the state
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3
as in killing
to deprive of life
regrettably, the veterinarian was forced to destroy the injured horse
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of destroying
While undoubtedly devastating, the Israeli military said at the beginning of the campaign that reports of these airstrikes destroying 50 percent of Hezbollah’s rockets were most likely exaggerated.
—
Paul Iddon, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
The grand jury accused Whiting of misuse of public monies, theft, conflict of interest, harassment, sending a threatening letter and stealing, destroying, altering or secreting public records.
—Robert Anglen, The Arizona Republic, 4 Oct. 2024
Keeping the excessive usage of drones in ongoing wars in mind, the United States Army’s Apache helicopters are training to get better at destroying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) mid-flight using Hellfire missiles, among other ammunition.
—Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2024
Driven by strong, erratic winds, the fire raced through the historic town of Lahaina, destroying thousands of buildings, overcoming people trapped in their cars and forcing some residents to flee into the ocean.
—Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2024
The informant said Gledhill then allegedly admitted to moving Johnson’s body and burying it in a shallow grave, Fox 13 reported, before removing and destroying items in the home.
—Liam Quinn, People.com, 3 Oct. 2024
This version was first recorded by Alice’s mother, Lorna Wu, and became a pop hit in the 1970s; over the course of the episode, Alice realizes that her mother’s version was, in fact, a spell, designed to keep the curse from destroying Alice’s life.
—Adam B. Vary, Variety, 3 Oct. 2024
Even piling tanks high with jammers can fail to stop drones destroying them.
—David Hambling, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
Paul Iddon, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
The grand jury accused Whiting of misuse of public monies, theft, conflict of interest, harassment, sending a threatening letter and stealing, destroying, altering or secreting public records.
—Robert Anglen, The Arizona Republic, 4 Oct. 2024
Keeping the excessive usage of drones in ongoing wars in mind, the United States Army’s Apache helicopters are training to get better at destroying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) mid-flight using Hellfire missiles, among other ammunition.
—Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2024
Driven by strong, erratic winds, the fire raced through the historic town of Lahaina, destroying thousands of buildings, overcoming people trapped in their cars and forcing some residents to flee into the ocean.
—Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2024
The informant said Gledhill then allegedly admitted to moving Johnson’s body and burying it in a shallow grave, Fox 13 reported, before removing and destroying items in the home.
—Liam Quinn, People.com, 3 Oct. 2024
This version was first recorded by Alice’s mother, Lorna Wu, and became a pop hit in the 1970s; over the course of the episode, Alice realizes that her mother’s version was, in fact, a spell, designed to keep the curse from destroying Alice’s life.
—Adam B. Vary, Variety, 3 Oct. 2024
Even piling tanks high with jammers can fail to stop drones destroying them.
—David Hambling, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near destroying
Cite this Entry
“Destroying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destroying. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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