to destruct
- verb
- /dɪˈstrʌkt/
- Specialized
- This message will self-destruct in one second.
- self-destruct
You might as well, you know, destruct this whole thing for now.
- You might as well, you know, destruct this whole thing for now.
- My next one is to never self destruct or engage in destructive behavior.
- So, but the key is how do you not destruct yourself?
- And it had a lot of parts of it that would, we knew would not self destruct when they came back in through the atmosphere.
- If he doesn't have problems, he'll begin to be bored and he'll sort of self destruct.
- So basically hit the self destruct thing and type in your passcode.
- They have the they have the internal mechanism to self destruct like any tyranny.
- And it's a country that just pressed the self destruct button and for no good reason.
- So we like to self destruct because we are misinterpreting the moment, right?
Examples
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This ship will self-destruct in exactly ten seconds.
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And there's a self destruct function where it'll erase everything on it.
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It has built into it a self destruct function.
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This tape will self-destruct in 5 seconds.
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Now, the Podkova's housing was designed to self-destruct if tampered with.
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This message will self-destruct.
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The complex will self-destruct.
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The enemy base is programmed to destruct remotely if it falls into the wrong hands.
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In case of a breach, the satellites can destruct themselves to prevent sensitive data from being captured.
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The device will automatically destruct after it completes its mission to ensure no traces are left.
Synonyms
Damage something so badly that it cannot be used or fixed
To destroy a building or other structure completely
Remove something harmful completely, for example a disease or pest
To damage something badly so it no longer works
To damage a place or thing very badly
To destroy something completely so nothing remains
Knock down a building or other large structure completely
To destroy completely, often killing many people
To destroy something completely, often on purpose
Completely destroy a building or large structure
To destroy something completely, often using a nuclear bomb
To destroy something completely so nothing is left
To destroy a place and leave it ruined
Antonyms
How Destructive
Surface Forms
Morphology
destruct = de + struct
The form shows a clear de- + struct composition meaning 'undo/build down', but 'struct' is a non-standalone combining form and the verb 'destruct' is rare/technical, so the sense is only partly obvious to a typical B1 learner.
Etymology
Destruct comes from the parts de- meaning 'down' or 'away' and struct meaning 'build', the same root you see in structure and construct. So, to destruct something is like 'unbuilding' it, to break it down on purpose.