DESTRUCT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does destruct mean? 

• DESTRUCT (verb)
  The verb DESTRUCT has 2 senses:

1. destroy (one's own missile or rocket)

2. do away with, cause the destruction or undoing of

  Familiarity information: DESTRUCT used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DESTRUCT (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they destruct    ... he / she / it destructs   
Past simple: destructed   
Past participle: destructed   
-ing form: destructing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Destroy (one's own missile or rocket)

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Context example:

The engineers had to destruct the rocket for safety reasons

Hypernyms (to "destruct" is one way to...):

destroy; destruct (do away with, cause the destruction or undoing of)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Do away with, cause the destruction or undoing of

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Synonyms:

destroy; destruct

Context example:

The fire destroyed the house

Hypernyms (to "destruct" is one way to...):

undo; unmake (deprive of certain characteristics)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "destruct"):

kill (destroy a vitally essential quality of or in)

do away with; eliminate; extinguish; get rid of (terminate, end, or take out)

self-destroy; self-destruct (do away with oneself or itself)

destruct (destroy (one's own missile or rocket))

end (put an end to)

fracture (interrupt, break, or destroy)

sweep away; wipe out (eliminate completely and without a trace)

interdict (destroy by firepower, such as an enemy's line of communication)

demolish; pulverise; pulverize (destroy completely)

demolish (ruin or destroy)

break apart; break up; disassemble; dismantle; take apart (take apart into its constituent pieces)

dismantle; level; pull down; rase; raze; take down; tear down (tear down so as to make flat with the ground)

eradicate; exterminate; extirpate; root out; uproot (destroy completely, as if down to the roots)

dilapidate (bring into a condition of decay or partial ruin by neglect or misuse)

demyelinate (destroy the myelin sheath of)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

 Context examples 

When exposed to neutron irradiation, boronophenylalanine absorbs neutrons and self-destructs releasing short-range alpha radiation and 'recoil' lithium in tumor cells, resulting in alpha radiation-induced tumor cell death.

(Boronophenylalanine-fructose complex, NCI Thesaurus)

At the same time, more dopamine-containing neurons also began to show signs of apoptosis, the cells’ “self-destruct” mechanism.

(Scientists find a role for Parkinson’s gene in the brain, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)