destruct
v.v. to destroy or break something completely. In programming, it often means to remove a file or a piece of data from a system.
v. to destroy or cause the complete breakdown of something. In a technical or programming context, it refers to the removal or deletion of data, files, or objects from a system.
The virus can destruct all files on your hard drive.
The developer wrote a script to destruct the temporary files after the application finishes running.
The system is designed to automatically destruct sensitive data once the user logs out to prevent unauthorized access to private information.
Back-formation from destruction.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Last updated May 19, 2026