destroys

VERB

demolish, devastate

Synonyms

STRONGEST

consume crush damage dismantle end eradicate gut impair kill maim ravage raze ruin sabotage shatter smash wipe out wreck

STRONG

abort annihilate annul axe butcher cream deface desolate despoil dispatch erase exterminate extinguish extirpate level liquidate mar maraud mutilate nuke nullify overturn quash quell ravish slay suppress torpedo total trash vaporize waste wax zap

WEAK

blot out break down lay waste snuff out spoliate stamp out swallow up tear down

Antonyms

STRONGEST

aid assist bear begin build construct create fix give birth help lose mend repair start

STRONG

improve keep preserve retain save validate

WEAK

restore

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

destroys

Zoe nearly destroys Rushville to save herself, while John almost violates his principles to seize the ring from Hal, per the Guardians’ orders, and take out Zoe.

From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026

The author’s careful research destroys many Victorian myths about the lives and fates of these women.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

Under some conditions, the collision destroys Theia and creates a broad protolunar disk around Earth.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026

"It destroys the quality of our education… We cannot study normally."

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

A leaky pipe destroys an entire rack of pressed botanical samples: it’s the diamond.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

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