
[Middle English destroien, from Old French destruire, from Vulgar Latin *dēstrūgere, back-formation from Latin dēstrūctus, past participle of dēstruere, to destroy : dē-, de- + struere, to pile up.]
verb
Definition: demolish, devastate
Antonyms: build, construct, create, improve, repair, restore
In general, to ruin completely; may include a taking. To ruin the structure, organic existence, or condition of a thing; to demolish; to injure or mutilate beyond possibility of use; to nullify.
As used in policies of insurance, in leases, and in maritime law, and under various statutes, this term is often applied to an act that renders the subject useless for its intended purpose, though it does not literally demolish or annihilate it.
In relation to wills, contracts, and other documents, the term destroy does not mean the annihilation of the instrument or its resolution into other forms of matter, but a destruction of its legal efficacy, which may be by cancellation, obliterating, tearing into fragments, and so on.
(DOD) A condition of a target so damaged that it can neither function as intended nor be restored to a usable condition. In the case of a building, all vertical supports and spanning members are damaged to such an extent that nothing is salvageable. In the case of bridges, all spans must have dropped and all piers must require replacement.
I know that my unity with all people cannot be destroyed by national boundaries and government orders.
— Leo Tolstoy
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Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - ødelægge, gøre ende på, rive ned, aflive, hærge, ruinere, knuse
v. intr. - hærge
Nederlands (Dutch)
vernietigen, verwoesten, vernielen, afmaken (van dieren), ruïneren
Français (French)
v. tr. - détruire, ravager, démolir, anéantir, exterminer (une population), abattre (un animal), supprimer, faire piquer (un animal), se suicider, détruire (une réputation), anéantir (un espoir)
v. intr. - détruire, être destructeur
Deutsch (German)
v. - zerstören, vernichten, ruinieren
Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - καταστρέφω, σκοτώνω, εξολοθρεύω, αχρηστεύω
Italiano (Italian)
distruggere
Português (Portuguese)
v. - destruir
Русский (Russian)
разрушать, уничтожать
Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - destrozar, romper, destruir, devastar, matar, extinguir
v. intr. - destruir
Svenska (Swedish)
v. - förstöra, rasera, krossa
中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
破坏, 消灭, 毁坏, 造成破坏
中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 破壞, 消滅, 毀壞
v. intr. - 破壞, 造成破壞
한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 훼손하다, 죽이다, 소멸시키다
v. intr. - 파괴하다
日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 破壊する, 砕く, 殺す
العربيه (Arabic)
(فعل) يدمر, يهدم, يقضي على شئ
עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - הרס, השמיד, הרג, חיסל
v. intr. - עסק בהרס
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