de‧stroy S2 W2 / dɪstrɔɪ / 动词 [及物动词]

1 to damage something so badly that it no longer exists or cannot be used or repaired → destruction

completely/totally destroy

The school was completely destroyed by fire.

companies that are polluting and destroying the environment

destroy sb’s confidence/hope/faith etc

2 if something destroys someone, it ruins their life completely :

The scandal destroyed Simmons and ended his political career.

3 informal to defeat an opponent easily :

The Bears destroyed the Detroit Lions 35–3.

4 to kill an animal, especially because it is ill or dangerous :

One of the bulls had to be destroyed.

COLLOCATIONS

名词

destroy the evidence (= deliberately destroy evidence of a crime ) They set light to the car to destroy the evidence.

destroy the environment Some of these companies are polluting and destroying the environment.

destroy the world/planet No one wants another war, which might destroy the world.

destroy sb’s career She made one bad mistake and it destroyed her career.

destroy sb’s reputation The scandal destroyed his reputation.

destroy the character of something New buildings have destroyed much of the character of the area.

destroy sb’s hopes Losing the game destroyed the team’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals.

destroy sb’s confidence When he failed his degree, it completely destroyed his confidence.

副词

completely/totally destroy something The plane was completely destroyed when it hit a mountain.

partially destroy something The Great Fire of 1666 partially destroyed the prison.

短语

be destroyed by fire/a bomb/earthquake etc The building was destroyed by fire in 2004.

THESAURUS

destroy to damage something so badly that it no longer exists or cannot be used or repaired : The earthquake almost completely destroyed the city. | The twin towers were destroyed in a terrorist attack.

devastate to damage a large area very badly and destroy many things in it : Allied bombings in 1943 devastated the city. | The country’s economy has been devastated by years of fighting.

demolish to completely destroy a building, either deliberately or by accident : The original 15th century house was demolished in Victorian times. | The plane crashed into a suburb of Paris, demolishing several buildings.

flatten to destroy a building or town by knocking it down, bombing it etc, so that nothing is left standing : The town centre was flattened by a 500 lb bomb.

wreck to deliberately damage something very badly, especially a room or building : The toilets had been wrecked by vandals. | They just wrecked the place.

trash informal to deliberately destroy a lot of the things in a room, house etc : Apparently, he trashed his hotel room while on drugs.

obliterate formal to destroy a place so completely that nothing remains : The nuclear blast obliterated most of Hiroshima.

reduce something to ruins/rubble/ashes to destroy a building or town completely : The town was reduced to rubble in the First World War.

ruin to spoil something completely, so that it cannot be used or enjoyed : Fungus may ruin the crop. | The new houses will ruin the view.