1. 1. The act of destroying.
   2. The condition of having been destroyed.
2. The cause or means of destroying: weapons that could prove to be the destruction of humankind.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin dēstrūctiō, dēstrūctiōn-, from dēstrūctus, past participle of dēstruere, to destroy. See destroy.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.