destruct

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“
While its doubtful that Cuccinelli or Brownlee will self-destruct, there's plenty of time for Foster to continue to build strength and support, and for Brownlee and Cuccinelli to pummel each other into irrelevency (see Bob Corker's win in the 2006 Tennessee Senate Primary).

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Definitions (7)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (3)

  1. noun The intentional, usually remote-controlled destruction of a space vehicle, rocket, or missile after launching, as for defective performance or reasons of safety.
  2. transitive verb To destroy intentionally (a rocket or missile) after launch.
  3. intransitive verb To self-destruct.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (1)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

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Examples (50)

  • We have families that self-destruct, friends that betray us. —  Billy Graham on technology and faith
  • But there's a spell ... I could make the letter self-destruct, right there in the house, like in that old TV show. —  Fantasy and Science Fiction - [Vol 111] - Issue 04-05 - October-November 2006
  • I run a few thousand simulations to verify that the modified me will not accidentally self-destruct or go into a catatonic fugue state, and then, once it is clear that the modification works, I make the changes The world is different now. —  Asimov's SF, Feb 2002
  • Rightwing corporate media self-destruct continues apace ... —  The BRAD BLOG
  • If a surge meets an SPD's maximum capacity, an SPD may self destruct or give a noticeable odor, so the design of the SPD should contain its burn and not explode. —  Epinions Recent Content for Home
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

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Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Back-formation from destruction.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. from Latin destructus, past participle of destruere. destroy: see destroy. Cf. construct, instruct.
 

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