English · Word Candidate

destroy

/dɪˈstɹɔɪ/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: destroys · destroying

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To damage beyond use or repair; to damage (something) to the point that it effectively ceases to exist.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Làm hỏng đến mức không thể sử dụng hoặc sửa chữa

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Verb

The earthquake destroyed several apartment complexes.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To neutralize, undo a property or condition.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Trung hòa, hủy bỏ một tính chất hoặc điều kiện

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Verb

Smoking destroys the natural subtlety of the palate.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

What does “destroy” mean?

To damage beyond use or repair; to damage (something) to the point that it effectively ceases to exist.

Is “destroy” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.