noun
destroyer
duh-STROY
noun
1
Someone or something that destroys.
"War is history's greatest destroyer of cities."
2
A small, fast, heavily armed warship, traditionally smaller than a cruiser but larger than a frigate.
"The naval fleet included three destroyers and a carrier."
How to Use Destroyer
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither something that destroys, or (most commonly today) a class of naval warship.
Common pairings
naval destroyer
guided-missile destroyer
Word Forms
destroyers plural
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War is history's greatest _____ of cities.
Etymology
Originally short for "torpedo-boat destroyer," a term coined in the late 1800s for ships built to hunt down torpedo boats.