destroyed
part of speech
verb form (destroy, destroys, destroyed, destroying); adjective (destroyed)
meaning for a pupil
1) Destroyed is the past form of destroy, which means to damage something so badly that it no longer exists or cannot be used. tree →
2) As an adjective, destroyed means completely ruined. tree →
3) Informally, destroyed means very upset or very tired, or beaten very badly in a game. tree →
sense in the lessons
In history and geography, earthquakes, floods, fires and wars destroy buildings and habitats; pupils learn how people rebuild. In science, habitats destroyed by people threaten animals. In stories, a dragon or storm destroys a town. Phrases: completely destroyed, destroyed by fire, totally destroyed.
examples
- The storm destroyed many houses. tree →
- The forest was destroyed by fire. tree →
- The castle was destroyed long ago. tree →
- My sandcastle was destroyed by a wave. tree →
- Many habitats are destroyed when forests are cut down. tree →
- The earthquake destroyed the bridge. tree →
- Our team got destroyed 10–0. tree →
- Somebody ought to do something, or we shall all be destroyed." tree →
note
Past and past participle of destroy: destroyed (add -ed; the y stays because a vowel comes before it). Noun: destruction; adjective: destructive. Damaged means harmed but may be fixed; destroyed means ruined.
In the corpora
- Atoms are not destroyed when ice melts or a smell spreads; the same atoms just move about and change partners.
- "Bit the dust" means died, or was destroyed or broke; it is slang.
- "Collateral damage" is official military language for ordinary people killed or property destroyed by accident in an attack.
- "Went west" means died or was destroyed; it is old-fashioned British English.
- "Humanely destroyed" (official) means an animal was killed by officials.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «destroyed» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.