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# destroy

«destroy» in Mova's school dictionary: **to damage it so badly that it is ruined or no longer exists** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (destroy, destroys, destroyed, destroying)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To destroy something means to damage it so badly that it is ruined or no longer exists. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/destroy/#m1)

2) To destroy can mean to completely beat someone in a game (informal). [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/destroy/#m2)

3) To destroy someone's hopes or plans means to end them. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/destroy/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In stories fires, storms, floods and wars destroy houses and forests; villains try to destroy things. In science, habitats can be destroyed by cutting down forests, which harms animals. In everyday life, people safely destroy old papers with personal information. Phrases: «completely destroyed», «destroy evidence», «destroyed by fire».

### examples

- The fire destroyed the old barn. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/destroy/#x1)
- The storm destroyed many homes. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/destroy/#x2)
- Cutting down rainforests destroys animals' habitats. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/destroy/#x3)
- The dog destroyed my slippers. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/destroy/#x4)
- Bacteria are destroyed by boiling water. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/destroy/#x5)
- Our team destroyed them 10–0! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/destroy/#x6)
- The news destroyed his hopes of winning. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/destroy/#x7)
- Shred old letters to destroy your details. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/destroy/#x8)
- Shall we never be able to destroy him? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/destroy/#x9)

### note

Regular: destroyed, destroying (keep y after a vowel). Noun: destruction. Adjective: destructive. «Destroy» is stronger than «damage»: damaged things can be fixed; destroyed things usually cannot.

### In the corpora

- [Atoms are not destroyed when ice melts or a smell spreads; the same atoms just move about and change partners.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/1-what-is-everything-made-of/3/)
- ["Bit the dust" means died, or was destroyed or broke; it is slang.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/1-death-polite-and-joking/13/)
- ["Collateral damage" is official military language for ordinary people killed or property destroyed by accident in an attack.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/2-death-official-and-slang/8/)
- ["Went west" means died or was destroyed; it is old-fashioned British English.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/2-death-official-and-slang/18/)
- ["Humanely destroyed" (official) means an animal was killed by officials.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/17-school-and-pets/18/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «destroy» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/destroy/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.