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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ravaging
to bring destruction to (something) through violent action
wildfires destroyed thousands of acres in forests across the state
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in killing
to deprive of life
regrettably, the veterinarian was forced to destroy the injured horse
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of destroying
As Miles manages to lift up Lily and get her out of there, MPKs start hurling flash-bangs, destroying the Ed Baldwin shrine and shooting a couple of protesters in the process.
—
Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2026
Ukrainian forces are systematically striking Russian oil refineries, pipelines, and storage facilities over 600 miles inside Russia, destroying tens of billions in infrastructure and disrupting Moscow’s war finances.
—Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
The tornado struck Marathon County on Friday afternoon, damaging or destroying at least 75 homes in Ringle alone, with some structures leveled completely.
—Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Wildfires in Georgia and Florida continue to spread, causing evacuations and destroying homes.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Wildfire risks surfaced in central states as more than 100 wildfires were already burning in Florida and Georgia, destroying homes, prompting burn bans and forcing hundreds of evacuations.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
Voting out the party that has been destroying our country must be our only focus.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
The tornado left a trail of damage in Hillsdale, Kansas, Monday night, wrecking an RV park, toppling power lines, leveling homes and destroying a storage facility near West 255th Street.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2026
Duffy denies all four charges against him, which include one count of unlawfully destroying fish and three counts of damaging property, according to LBC, The Independent and The Telegraph.
—Gina Kalsi, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2026
Ukrainian forces are systematically striking Russian oil refineries, pipelines, and storage facilities over 600 miles inside Russia, destroying tens of billions in infrastructure and disrupting Moscow’s war finances.
—Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
The tornado struck Marathon County on Friday afternoon, damaging or destroying at least 75 homes in Ringle alone, with some structures leveled completely.
—Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Wildfires in Georgia and Florida continue to spread, causing evacuations and destroying homes.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Wildfire risks surfaced in central states as more than 100 wildfires were already burning in Florida and Georgia, destroying homes, prompting burn bans and forcing hundreds of evacuations.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
Voting out the party that has been destroying our country must be our only focus.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
The tornado left a trail of damage in Hillsdale, Kansas, Monday night, wrecking an RV park, toppling power lines, leveling homes and destroying a storage facility near West 255th Street.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2026
Duffy denies all four charges against him, which include one count of unlawfully destroying fish and three counts of damaging property, according to LBC, The Independent and The Telegraph.
—Gina Kalsi, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for destroying
Verb
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Determining how the teen died took time, and after months of additional investigation, prosecutors announced charges against D4vd that allege her murder was a premeditated attempt to keep her from ruining his music career by exposing their underage relationship.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
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Additionally, wet windows can accumulate condensation overnight, potentially ruining your hard work.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Thunder dug in their heels through two Game 7s, a title run and a season of ravaging injury luck.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2026
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Taiwanese friends have told me that the tariffs are ravaging their businesses.—
Michelle Kuo,
The Dial,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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On Saturday, Moscow pummeled the central city of Dnipro and other areas for more than twenty hours with barrages of missiles and drones, killing at least seven people.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
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The coastal Georgia man arrested in 2018 and accused of torturing, killing and burying his two teenage children in the backyard of the family’s mobile home will spend the rest of his life behind bars after reaching a plea deal.—
Adam Van Brimmer,
AJC.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The animal begins wrecking the fields and terrorizing the people.—
Perin Gürel,
The Conversation,
22 Apr. 2026
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The tornado left a trail of damage in Hillsdale, Kansas, Monday night, wrecking an RV park, toppling power lines, leveling homes and destroying a storage facility near West 255th Street.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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House Republicans approved the resolution last month despite conservationists’ warnings that the move would lead to devastating pollution in one of the country’s last remaining wild areas.—
Todd Richmond,
Twin Cities,
16 Apr. 2026
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Two tornadoes ripped through west Michigan on April 14, devastating a family dairy farm in Fenick, releasing hundreds of cows and leaving thousands without power.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But all that would change after the July 7, 2021, slaying of Haiti’s president, when both agents would eventually cut off contact with Pretel and the FBI terminated its contractual engagement with him.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
23 Apr. 2026
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Field, 44, was released from prison just last year after serving a 24-year sentence for the April 29, 2000, slaying.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Those sweaters have so much mojo, as shown by Allen just demolishing what looked to be a Corona.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2026
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And the city has further rules around demolishing older buildings, passed in late 2024.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In a race for the ages, Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds on Sunday, shattering the previous men’s world record by an astonishing 65 seconds.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
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The Kenyan runner won the London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds, shattering the previous men’s world record by 65 seconds.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Destroying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destroying. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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