Destroy

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Destroy \De*stroy"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Destroyed}; p. pr. &
     vb. n. {Destroying}.] [OE. destroien, destruien, destrien,
     OF. destruire, F. d['e]truire, fr. L. destruere, destructum;
     de + struere to pile up, build. See {Structure}.]
     1. To unbuild; to pull or tear down; to separate virulently
        into its constituent parts; to break up the structure and


        organic existence of; to demolish.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              But ye shall destroy their altars, break their
              images, and cut down their groves.    --Ex. xxxiv.
                                                    13.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To ruin; to bring to naught; to put an end to; to
        annihilate; to consume.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation.
                                                    --Jer. xii.
                                                    17.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. To put an end to the existence, prosperity, or beauty of;
        to kill.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              If him by force he can destroy, or, worse,
              By some false guile pervert.          --Milton.
  
     Syn: To demolish; lay waste; consume; raze; dismantle; ruin;
          throw down; overthrow; subvert; desolate; devastate;
          deface; extirpate; extinguish; kill; slay. See
          {Demolish}.
          [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  destroy
       v 1: do away with, cause the destruction or undoing of; "The fire
            destroyed the house" [syn: {destruct}]
       2: destroy completely; damage irreparably; "You have ruined my
          car by pouring sugar in the tank!"; "The tears ruined her
          make-up" [syn: {ruin}]
       3: defeat soundly; "The home team demolished the visitors"
          [syn: {demolish}]
       4: as of animals; "The customs agents destroyed the dog that
          was found to be rabid"

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  278 Moby Thesaurus words for "destroy":
     abolish, abuse, afflict, aggrieve, annihilate, annul, assault,
     atomize, attack, baffle, balk, barbarize, batter, beat,
     beat all hollow, beat hollow, befoul, bereave of life, best,
     bewitch, blast, blight, botch, brave, break down, break up,
     bring to ruin, brutalize, burn, butcher, cancel out, carry away,
     carry off, carry on, challenge, checkmate, chloroform, circumvent,
     condemn, confound, confront, confute, consume, contradict,
     contravene, corrupt, counter, counteract, countermand, counterwork,
     cripple, cross, crucify, crush, curse, cut down, cut off, damage,
     damn, dash, deal destruction, decapitate, decimate, defeat, defile,
     defy, demolish, deny, deprave, depredate, deprive of life,
     desolate, despoil, devastate, devitalize, devour, disable,
     disadvantage, discomfit, disconcert, discountenance, dish,
     dismantle, dispatch, dispose of, disprove, disrupt, disserve,
     dissolve, distress, do a mischief, do away with, do evil, do for,
     do ill, do in, do to death, do wrong, do wrong by, doom, drub,
     dynamite, elude, end, enfeeble, engorge, envenom, eradicate,
     execute, exhaust, exterminate, extinguish, extirpate, finish,
     finish off, fix, flummox, foil, frustrate, get into trouble, go on,
     gobble, gobble up, gut, gut with fire, hammer, harass, harm, havoc,
     hex, hide, hors de combat, hurt, immolate, impair, incinerate,
     infect, injure, interfere with, jinx, kill, knock the chocks,
     lambaste, lather, launch into eternity, lay in ruins, lay waste,
     lick, liquidate, loot, lynch, make away with, maltreat, mangle,
     mar, martyr, martyrize, maul, menace, mistreat, molest, mug,
     mutilate, negate, neutralize, nonplus, nullify, outclass, outdo,
     outfight, outgeneral, outmaneuver, outpoint, outrage, outrun,
     outsail, outshine, overthrow, overturn, perplex, persecute,
     pillage, play havoc with, play hob with, poison, pollute,
     prejudice, pull down, pulverize, purge, put, put away, put down,
     put to death, put to sleep, quench, rage, ramp, rampage, rant,
     rape, ravage, rave, raze, refute, remove from life, reverse, riot,
     roar, rub out, rubble, ruin, ruinate, sabotage, sack, sacrifice,
     savage, scathe, scotch, settle, shatter, shipwreck, shoot, skin,
     skin alive, slaughter, slay, smash, sow chaos, spike, spoil,
     starve, stonewall, stop, storm, stump, swallow up, taint,
     take life, take off, tear, tear around, tear down, terminate,
     terrorize, thrash, threaten, throw into disorder, thwart, torment,
     torture, trash, trim, triumph over, trounce, unbuild, undermine,
     undo, unleash destruction, unleash the hurricane, unmake, upheave,
     upset, vandalize, vaporize, violate, waste, weaken, whip, wipe,
     wipe out, worst, wound, wrack, wreak havoc, wreak havoc on, wreck,
     wrong