verb
1 damage sth so badly that it no longer exists
ADVERB
▪ completely , entirely , totally , utterly
▪ all but , almost , effectively , nearly , practically , virtually
▪
Their lives have been virtually ~ed by this tragedy.
▪ largely
▪ partially , partly
▪ eventually , ultimately
▪
Our greed may ultimately ~ the planet.
▪ systematically
▪
The rainforest is being systematically ~ed.
▪ single-handedly
▪
That guy just single-handedly ~ed everything we've worked for.
▪ easily
▪ for ever , permanently
▪ immediately , instantly
▪
The bomb hit, instantly ~ing the building.
▪ quickly , rapidly
▪ slowly
▪
Depression and despair slowly ~ed his life.
▪ deliberately
▪ accidentally , inadvertently
▪ physically
▪
He physically ~ed the computer by smashing it to pieces.
▪ literally
▪
The earthquake literally ~ed their villages.
▪ by fire
▪
The building was ~ed by fire last year.
VERB + DESTROY
▪ can , could , etc.
▪
Drugs can ~ the lives of young people.
▪ threaten to
▪
This disease threatens to ~ many of our native trees.
PHRASES
▪ an attempt to ~ sth
▪
a new attempt to ~ enemy positions
▪ be capable of ~ing sth
▪
These weapons are capable of ~ing the entire planet.
▪ be intent on ~ing sth
▪
She seemed intent on ~ing everything they had built up together.
2 kill an animal
ADVERB
▪ humanely
PHRASES
▪ have to be ~ed
▪
The horse fell and had to be ~ed.
Destroy is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑ blast , ↑ bomb , ↑ cyclone , ↑ earthquake , ↑ explosion , ↑ fire , ↑ hurricane , ↑ landslide , ↑ locust , ↑ missile , ↑ tornado , ↑ typhoon , ↑ vandal , ↑ virus
Destroy is used with these nouns as the object: ↑ aircraft , ↑ army , ↑ bacteria , ↑ base , ↑ bridge , ↑ building , ↑ camp , ↑ capitalism , ↑ cell , ↑ chance , ↑ civilization , ↑ competition , ↑ confidence , ↑ country , ↑ credibility , ↑ crop , ↑ defence , ↑ dignity , ↑ document , ↑ dog , ↑ earth , ↑ economy , ↑ effectiveness , ↑ embryo , ↑ empire , ↑ enemy , ↑ essence , ↑ evidence , ↑ evil , ↑ fabric , ↑ faith , ↑ file , ↑ flavour , ↑ fleet , ↑ forest , ↑ foundation , ↑ friendship , ↑ germ , ↑ habitat , ↑ heritage , ↑ home , ↑ hope , ↑ illusion , ↑ industry , ↑ integrity , ↑ liberty , ↑ livelihood , ↑ mankind , ↑ missile , ↑ monster , ↑ monument , ↑ morale , ↑ myth , ↑ negative , ↑ neighbourhood , ↑ nest , ↑ network , ↑ ozone , ↑ planet , ↑ property , ↑ record , ↑ regime , ↑ relationship , ↑ reputation , ↑ ship , ↑ symmetry , ↑ system , ↑ tank , ↑ target , ↑ trust , ↑ unity , ↑ vegetation , ↑ vestige , ↑ wall , ↑ world