destroyer
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
a person or thing that ruins, breaks, or ends something.
an agent—whether human, mechanical, or abstract—that causes the destruction or ruin of something else.
Simple“The invasive beetle became the destroyer of the local forest.”
In context“Historians often debate whether the emperor was a visionary reformer or simply a destroyer of ancient traditions.”
Synonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a fast, medium-sized warship used to protect other ships or attack enemies.
a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet and defend them against smaller, short-range attackers.
Simple“The navy sent a destroyer to patrol the waters near the coast.”
In context“The guided-missile destroyer provided a sophisticated air-defence umbrella for the entire carrier strike group during the exercise.”
UsageIn modern naval contexts, it often refers specifically to ships equipped with guided missiles.
“Centcom said it "successfully evaded" the multiple attacks from the IRGC earlier in the day, which were targeting a US aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer.”
Inherited from Middle English destroyour, destroyere; By surface analysis, destroy + -er. Designating a warship, it is ellipsis of torpedo-boat destroyer, the longer term appearing at the end of the 19th century and the shorter form early in the 20th.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.