destruction fire
- noun
- Specialized
- The artillery unit was ordered to lay down destruction fire on the enemy's ammunition depot.
Examples
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Command authorized destruction fire only after all civilians had evacuated the area.
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The military employed destruction fire to eliminate enemy supplies.
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Using destruction fire, the engineers eliminated obstacles that blocked the advance.
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During the conflict, destruction fires were used extensively.
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The artillery unit was ordered to lay down destruction fire on the enemy's ammunition depot.
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During the conflict, destruction fire was employed to neutralize enemy positions.
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Command authorized destruction fire only after all civilians had evacuated the area.
Synonyms
A weapon that shoots burning fuel to set things on fire from far away
A bomb that starts fires, often used against buildings or fuel
An attack using bombs that cause fires to destroy buildings or cities
Burning waste completely until only ash remains
A burning liquid used as a weapon by the Byzantine navy that burns on water
A bomb that starts fires to burn buildings or fuel
Antonyms
How Destructive
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The overall meaning — fire intended to cause destruction of material objects — is directly and literally derivable from combining 'destruction' (causing irreversible damage) with 'fire' (firing of guns/artillery). This noun + noun composition follows transparent, compositional semantics that a B1 learner who knows both constituents and the military context can infer without prior exposure.
Etymology
Destruction fire may come from the simple image of soldiers aiming guns or big guns to smash buildings, bridges, or enemy supplies. Here destruction means 'to destroy material objects' and fire means shooting, so the phrase refers to shooting done only to destroy objects.