-kshən noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English destruccioun, from Middle French destruction, from Latin destruction-, destructio, from destructus (past participle of destruere to tear down) + -ion-, -io -ion — more at destroy
1. : the action or process of destroying a material or immaterial object:
a. : demolition or complete ruin
destruction of dead files by a government department
bombers accomplished destruction of the city
b. : killing or annihilation
destruction of sheep by dogs and wild animals
inflicted destruction on enemy units
c. : a bringing to an end : elimination , eradication
measures toward destruction of the dictatorship
was his real purpose in creating this painting the destruction of religion rather than the furtherance of it — Huntington Hartford
d. : impairment , disruption , disintegration
destruction of the universities by the Nazi regime
the destruction of European civilization through internal strife
e. : invalidation
any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein — U.N. Declaration of Human Rights
2.
a. : the fact or experience of or subjection to being destroyed
Albania … suffered whole or partial destruction of 1600 of its villages — Current Biography
Macbeth seemed eager for his own destruction
a study of communistic ideology and prospects of its gradual destruction
voluntary muscular movements become sluggish and finally tissue destruction and death may occur at temperatures of -25° F to -50° F — H.G.Armstrong
b. : loss of prestige and reputation : descent into a state of ignominy and degradation
resolved on the teacher's personal destruction because of his stand on civil rights
c. : a condition of having been destroyed
coffee planting on steep slopes has resulted in serious land destruction — P.E.James
with economic and social destruction as the penalty for dissent — Archibald MacLeish
the destruction resulting from the hurricane
3. : a destroying agency : a cause of ruin
alcohol is likely to be his destruction