Destroy

Pronunciation: /dɪˈstrɔɪ/

Definitions of destroy

verb to cause great damage or harm to something, making it unusable or unrepairable

Example Sentences

A1 The little boy accidentally destroyed his toy truck.

A2 The storm destroyed several houses in the village.

B1 The company's reputation was destroyed after the scandal.

B2 The virus destroyed all the data on the computer.

C1 The dictator's regime sought to destroy any opposition to their rule.

C2 The nuclear bomb had the power to destroy entire cities.

Examples of destroy in a Sentence

formal The hurricane had the power to destroy entire towns along the coast.

informal If you keep eating junk food, you'll destroy your health.

slang I told him to stop spreading rumors or I'll destroy him in front of everyone.

figurative The betrayal was like a dagger through the heart, threatening to destroy their friendship forever.

Grammatical Forms of destroy

• past tense: destroyed
• plural: destroys
• comparative: more destructive
• superlative: most destructive
• present tense: destroys
• future tense: will destroy
• perfect tense: has destroyed
• continuous tense: is destroying
• singular: destroys
• positive degree: destroy
• infinitive: destroy
• gerund: destroying
• participle: destroyed

Origin and Evolution of destroy

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Latin

Story behind the word: The word 'destroy' originated from the Old French word 'destruire' which came from the Latin word 'destruere', meaning 'to tear down, demolish'.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'destroy' has retained its meaning of causing great damage or harm, but its usage has expanded to include various forms of destruction, both physical and metaphorical.