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destroy — to damage something so badly that it no longer exists or cannot be used

Part of speech: VERB

Definition: to damage something so badly that it no longer exists or cannot be used

Pronunciation (IPA): /dɪˈstrɔɪ/

Example Sentences

  • My little brother destroyed my LEGO castle in 3 seconds flat.
  • The fire destroyed the entire forest.
  • She destroyed her diet by eating five donuts for breakfast.

destroy

VERB

[/dɪˈstrɔɪ/]

to damage something so badly that it no longer exists or cannot be used

A wrecking ball destroys the old brick building completely
💡 Concept

A wrecking ball destroys the old brick building completely

Don't let broken toys destroy your joy!
🎵 Rhyme

Don't let broken toys destroy your joy!

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🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/dɪˈstrɔɪ/
🇬🇧 UK/dɪˈstrɔɪ/

🌳Etymology

Prefixde--
Rootstroy

Origin

From Old French 'destruire', derived from Latin 'destruere', composed of the prefix 'de-' (down, away) and 'struere' (to build, construct), literally meaning 'to unbuild'.

Breakdown

de- (down, away) + stru (build) + -oy (variant of -oy from Old French) = destroy (to tear down, to undo construction)

🎵Rhyme

toy
boy
joy
employ

🔗Collocations

destroy evidence
destroy confidence
completely destroy
destroy the environment
destroy someone's life
destroy the building

📝Examples

😄 Fun example

“My little brother destroyed my LEGO castle in 3 seconds flat.”

“The fire destroyed the entire forest.”

😄 Fun example

“She destroyed her diet by eating five donuts for breakfast.”

“The virus destroyed all the data on my computer.”

📚Related Words

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