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destruction

noun
di-STRUK-shuhn/dɪsˈtɹʌkʃən/

Pluraldestructions (some meanings)

3 meanings of destruction

Practice

  1. 1
    noununcountable
    The act of breaking or ruining something completely so it cannot be used again.

    Like the moment someone knocks down a tower of blocks: the knocking down itself, not the mess after.

    The destruction of the old bridge took only a few minutes.

    The fire caused the destruction of hundreds of homes.

    Similardemolition, elimination, annihilation, obliteration, dismantling

    Oppositeconstruction, creation, preservation, building

    Note
  2. 2
    noununcountable
    The damage left behind after something like a storm, fire, or war.

    After the storm, we walked outside and saw the destruction everywhere.

    The war left destruction in every village along the border.

    Similardamage, devastation, wreckage, ruin, havoc

    Note
  3. 3
    nouncollectivecountable
    A group of cats that have gone wild and live without owners.
    A group of wild cats is called a destruction.
    2019, “A gaggle, a confusion and a conspiracy - bizarre animal collective group names”, in BBCHere, destruction means a group of wild cats.
    Note

Practice

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Origin

It came from Middle English, which took it from Old French, and before that from the Latin word dēstructiō.