Exterminate vs Destroy - What's the difference?
exterminate | destroy |
To kill all of a population, usually deliberate and especially applied to pests.
(figuratively) To bring a definite end to, finish completely. A rather strong word that implies that what has been ended won't resurface.
To cause destruction.
To neutralize, undo a property or condition.
To put down or euthanize.
(colloquial) To defeat soundly.
(computing) To remove data.
Destroy is a synonym of exterminate.
In transitive terms the difference between exterminate and destroy
is that exterminate is to kill all of a population, usually deliberate and especially applied to pests while destroy is to put down or euthanize.exterminate
English
Verb
(exterminat)- We'll use poison to exterminate the rats.
- Even a mass birching at the public school failed to exterminate truancy.
Synonyms
* (to kill all) annihilate, eradicate, extermine, uproot * (to bring an end to) stamp out * See alsoDerived terms
* extermination * exterminative * exterminator * exterminatorydestroy
English
Verb
To damage beyond use or repair.
- The earthquake destroyed several apartment complexes.
- ''Hooligans destroy unprovoked
- ''Smoking destroys the natural subtlety of the palate
- Destroying a rabid dog is required by law.
- The memory leak happened because we forgot to destroy the temporary lists.