# destroyed

/dɪˈstɹɔɪd/ (US) · /dɪstɹˈɔɪd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/destroyed
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. ruined or broken

adjective · CEFR A2

damaged so badly that it cannot be fixed or used anymore.

For teachers: rendered useless or non-existent through physical damage or total ruin.

- The old bridge was completely destroyed by the heavy floods last winter.
- The historic archives were destroyed in the fire, leaving historians with no primary records of the town's founding era.

### 2. very upset

adjective · CEFR B2

feeling extremely sad or shocked because of bad news.

For teachers: experiencing extreme emotional distress or psychological devastation.

- She was destroyed when she heard that her favorite shop was closing down.
- The family was utterly destroyed by the sudden news, struggling to process the magnitude of their loss in the following weeks.

### 3. very tired

adjective · CEFR B2 · Informal

feeling completely exhausted after a lot of hard work.

For teachers: physically or mentally exhausted to the point of collapse.

- I was absolutely destroyed after running my first marathon.
- After forty-eight hours of continuous duty, the medical staff were destroyed and desperately needed a period of uninterrupted rest.

### 4. dirty or soiled

adjective · CEFR C2 · Dialect · Informal

covered in mud or dirt, usually after a fall.

For teachers: heavily soiled or muddied, typically used in reference to clothing or children.

- The kids came home destroyed after playing in the wet garden all afternoon.
- He tripped in the bog and came back to the cottage destroyed, with mud caked into every fiber of his wool coat.

Teaching tip: This sense is specific to Irish English; learners should use 'filthy' or 'covered in mud' in other regions.

## Examples

- The fire destroyed the old wooden house.
- Heavy rains and strong winds destroyed the crops just weeks before the harvest was due.
- The archaeological site was almost entirely destroyed by centuries of erosion and illegal excavations, leaving very little for modern researchers to study.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.