noun
Meaning 1
That which destroys something.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
destroyer
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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General-American: /dəˈstɹɔɪ.ɚ/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɔɪ.ə(ɹ)
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CMU ARPABET: D IH0 S T R OY1 ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A small, fast warship with light gun armament, smaller than a cruiser, but bigger than a frigate.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: historical
Topics: government, military, nautical, politics, transport, war
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A larger warship with guided missile armament, usually intended for air defence or anti-ship roles. Often, but not always, larger than a frigate and smaller than a cruiser.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: government, military, nautical, politics, transport, war
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
A larger warship with guided missile armament, usually intended for air defence or anti-ship roles. Often, but not always, larger than a frigate and smaller than a cruiser.
A starship of comparable role.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly
Topics: government, literature, media, military, nautical, politics, publishing, science-fiction, transport, war
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
a small fast lightly armored but heavily armed warship
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: guided missile destroyer
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: warship, war vessel, combat ship
Narrower terms: tin can, torpedo-boat destroyer, USS Cole
noun
Meaning 6
a person who destroys or ruins or lays waste to
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- a destroyer of the environment
- jealousy was his undoer
- uprooters of gravestones
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: ruiner, undoer, waster, uprooter
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: bad person
Narrower terms: annihilator, iconoclast, image breaker, saboteur, wrecker, diversionist, vandal
History
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English destroyour, destroyere; By surface analysis, destroy + -er. Designating a warship, it is ellipsis of torpedo-boat destroyer, the longer term appearing at the end of the 19th century and the shorter form early in the 20th.
Across languages
Translations
129 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Arabic: مُدَمِّر (mudammir) — that who/which destroys
- Belarusian: руйнава́льнік (rujnaválʹnik) — that who/which destroys
- Belarusian: руйнава́льніца (rujnaválʹnica) — that who/which destroys
- Belarusian: разбура́льнік (razburálʹnik) — that who/which destroys
- Belarusian: разбура́льніца (razburálʹnica) — that who/which destroys
- Belarusian: знішча́льнік (zniščálʹnik) — that who/which destroys
- Belarusian: знішча́льніца (zniščálʹnica) — that who/which destroys
- Bulgarian: разруши́тел (razrušítel) — that who/which destroys
- Bulgarian: разруши́телка (razrušítelka) — that who/which destroys
- Bulgarian: унищожи́тел (uništožítel) — that who/which destroys
- Bulgarian: унищожи́телка (uništožítelka) — that who/which destroys
- Catalan: destructor — that who/which destroys
- Czech: ničitel — that who/which destroys
- Czech: ničitelka — that who/which destroys
- Dutch: vernietiger — that who/which destroys
- Finnish: tuhooja — that who/which destroys
- French: destructeur — that who/which destroys
- French: destructrice — that who/which destroys
- Georgian: გამანადგურებელი (gamanadgurebeli) — that who/which destroys
- Georgian: გამნადგურებელი (gamnadgurebeli) — that who/which destroys
- Georgian: დამანგრეველი (damangreveli) — that who/which destroys
- German: Zerstörer — that who/which destroys
- German: Zerstörerin — that who/which destroys
- German: Vernichter — that who/which destroys
- German: Vernichterin — that who/which destroys
- Greek: καταστροφέας (katastroféas) — that who/which destroys
- Greek: αφανιστής (afanistís) — that who/which destroys
- Greek: εξολοθρευτής (exolothreftís) — that who/which destroys
- Ancient Greek: ὀλοθρευτής (olothreutḗs) — that who/which destroys
- Ancient Greek: δηλητήρ (dēlētḗr) — that who/which destroys
- Hebrew: הורס (horas) — that who/which destroys
- Hindi: नाशक (nāśak) — that who/which destroys
- Hindi: विनाशक (vināśak) — that who/which destroys
- Hungarian: romboló — that who/which destroys
- Hungarian: pusztító — that who/which destroys
- Hungarian: leromboló — that who/which destroys
- Hungarian: elpusztító — that who/which destroys
- Indonesian: perusak — that who/which destroys
- Irish: argthóir — that who/which destroys
- Irish: díothóir — that who/which destroys
- Irish: íditheoir — that who/which destroys
- Irish: loitiméir — that who/which destroys
- Irish: malartach — that who/which destroys
- Irish: millteach — that who/which destroys
- Irish: millteoir — that who/which destroys
- Irish: scriostóir — that who/which destroys
- Italian: distruttore — that who/which destroys
- Italian: distruttrice — that who/which destroys
- Japanese: 破壊者 (hakaisha) — that who/which destroys
- Korean: 파괴자 (pagoeja) — that who/which destroys
- Latin: dēlētor — that who/which destroys
- Latin: dēlētrix — that who/which destroys
- Macedonian: уништувач (uništuvač) — that who/which destroys
- Macedonian: уништувачка (uništuvačka) — that who/which destroys
- Malay: pembinasa — that who/which destroys
- Malay: perosak — that who/which destroys
- Marathi: विनाशक (vināśak) — that who/which destroys
- Marathi: नाशक (nāśak) — that who/which destroys
- Middle English: destroyour — that who/which destroys
- Norwegian Nynorsk: øydar — that who/which destroys
- Norwegian Nynorsk: øydeleggjar — that who/which destroys
- Polish: niszczyciel — that who/which destroys
- Polish: niszczycielka — that who/which destroys
- Portuguese: destruidor — that who/which destroys
- Russian: разруши́тель (razrušítelʹ) — that who/which destroys
- Russian: разруши́тельница (razrušítelʹnica) — that who/which destroys
- Russian: уничтожи́тель (uničtožítelʹ) — that who/which destroys
- Russian: уничтожи́тельница (uničtožítelʹnica) — that who/which destroys
- Russian: истреби́тель (istrebítelʹ) — that who/which destroys
- Russian: истреби́тельница (istrebítelʹnica) — that who/which destroys
- Sanskrit: दर्मन् (darman) — that who/which destroys
- Slovak: ničiteľ — that who/which destroys
- Slovak: ničiteľka — that who/which destroys
- Spanish: destructor — that who/which destroys
- Spanish: destruidor — that who/which destroys
- Sumerian: 𒄢 (/gul/) — that who/which destroys
- Swedish: förstörare — that who/which destroys
- Ukrainian: руйнівни́к (rujnivnýk) — that who/which destroys
- Ukrainian: руйнівни́ця (rujnivnýcja) — that who/which destroys
- Ukrainian: нищи́тель (nyščýtelʹ) — that who/which destroys
- Ukrainian: нищи́телька (nyščýtelʹka) — that who/which destroys
- Ukrainian: вини́щувач (vynýščuvač) — that who/which destroys
- Ukrainian: вини́щувачка (vynýščuvačka) — that who/which destroys
- Armenian: ականակիր (akanakir) — type of warship
- Belarusian: эска́драны мінано́сец (eskádrany minanósjec) — type of warship
- Belarusian: эсмі́нец (esmínjec) — type of warship
- Bulgarian: разруши́тел (razrušítel) — type of warship
- Bulgarian: еска́дрен миноно́сец (eskádren minonósec) — type of warship
- Bulgarian: есми́нец (esmínec) — type of warship
- Catalan: destructor — type of warship
- Chinese Cantonese: 驅逐艦 /驱逐舰 (keoi1 zuk6 laam6) — type of warship
- Chinese: 驅逐艦 /驱逐舰 (khu-tio̍k-lām) — type of warship
- Chinese Mandarin: 驅逐艦 /驱逐舰 (qūzhújiàn) — type of warship
- Czech: torpédoborec — type of warship
- Esperanto: destrojero — type of warship
- Finnish: hävittäjä — type of warship
- French: destroyer — type of warship
- French: contre-torpilleur — type of warship
- Georgian: საესკადრო ნაღმოსანი (saesḳadro naɣmosani) — type of warship
- Georgian: გამანადგურებელი (gamanadgurebeli) — type of warship
- German: Zerstörer — type of warship
- Greek: αντιτορπιλικό (antitorpilikó) — type of warship
- Hebrew: מַשְׁחֶתֶת (mashkhetet) — type of warship
- Hungarian: romboló — type of warship
- Hungarian: rombolóhajó — type of warship
- Hungarian: torpedóromboló — type of warship
- Hungarian: torpedónaszád-romboló — type of warship
- Italian: cacciatorpediniere — type of warship
- Japanese: 駆逐艦 (kuchikukan) — type of warship
- Korean: 구축함 (guchukham) — type of warship
- Macedonian: разурнувач (razurnuvač) — type of warship
- Malay: kapal pembinasa — type of warship
- Marathi: डिस्ट्रॉयर (ḍisṭrŏyar) — type of warship
- Marathi: विनाशिका (vināśikā) — type of warship
- Norwegian Bokmål: jager — type of warship
- Norwegian Bokmål: destroyer — type of warship
- Persian: ناوشکن — type of warship
- Polish: niszczyciel — type of warship
- Portuguese: contratorpedeiro — type of warship
- Russian: эска́дренный миноно́сец (eskádrennyj minonósec) — type of warship
- Russian: эсми́нец (esmínec) — type of warship
- Slovak: torpédoborec — type of warship
- Slovene: rušilec — type of warship
- Spanish: destructor — type of warship
- Swedish: jagare — type of warship
- Ukrainian: еска́дрений міноно́сець (eskádrenyj minonósecʹ) — type of warship
- Ukrainian: есмі́нець (esmínecʹ) — type of warship
- Vietnamese: tàu khu trục — type of warship
- Vietnamese: khu trục hạm — type of warship
Real reading context