Standard Lemma guide

destructor

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

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

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1

noun

Meaning 1

One who destructs.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A furnace or oven for the burning or carbonizing of refuse.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A function that runs when an object is no longer required, used to release any resources that it was using.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: object-oriented programming

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: constructor

History

Etymology

From destruct + -or.

Across languages

Translations

25 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 破壞者 /破坏者 (pòhuàizhe) — one who destructs
  • Finnish: purkaja — one who destructs
  • French: destructeur — one who destructs
  • German: Zerstörer — one who destructs
  • Polish: destruktor — one who destructs
  • Polish: destruktorka — one who destructs
  • Polish: niszczyciel — one who destructs
  • Polish: niszczycielka — one who destructs
  • Portuguese: destruidor — one who destructs
  • Russian: разруши́тель (razrušítelʹ) — one who destructs
  • Russian: разруши́тельница (razrušítelʹnica) — one who destructs
  • Chinese Mandarin: 析構函數 /析构函数 (xīgòu hánshù) — cleaning-up commands in object oriented programming
  • Czech: destruktor — cleaning-up commands in object oriented programming
  • Finnish: destruktori — cleaning-up commands in object oriented programming
  • Finnish: hajotin — cleaning-up commands in object oriented programming
  • Finnish: purkaja — cleaning-up commands in object oriented programming
  • French: destructeur — cleaning-up commands in object oriented programming
  • German: Destruktor — cleaning-up commands in object oriented programming
  • Japanese: デストラクタ (desutorakuta) — cleaning-up commands in object oriented programming
  • Japanese: 消去子 (shōkyoshi) — cleaning-up commands in object oriented programming
  • Polish: destruktor — cleaning-up commands in object oriented programming
  • Portuguese: destrutor — cleaning-up commands in object oriented programming
  • Russian: дестру́ктор (destrúktor) — cleaning-up commands in object oriented programming
  • Spanish: destructor — cleaning-up commands in object oriented programming
  • Vietnamese: hàm huỷ — cleaning-up commands in object oriented programming