Verb

To damage beyond use or repair.

The earthquake destroyed several apartment complexes.

To cause destruction.

''Hooligans destroy unprovoked

To neutralize, undo a property or condition.

''Smoking destroys the natural subtlety of the palate

To put down or euthanize.

Destroying a rabid dog is required by law.

(colloquial) To defeat soundly.

(computing) To remove data.

The memory leak happened because we forgot to destroy the temporary lists.

Verb

To surmount (a physical or abstract obstacle); to prevail over, to get the better of.

:to overcome enemies in battle

*Spenser

*:This wretched woman overcome / Of anguish, rather than of crime, hath been.

*1898 , , (Moonfleet), Ch.4:

*:By and by fumes of brandy began to fill the air, and climb to where I lay, overcoming the mouldy smell of decayed wood and the dampness of the green walls.

(obsolete) To win (a battle).

*:

*:Ther with all cam kyng Arthur but with a fewe peple and slewe on the lyfte hand and on the ryght hand that wel nyhe ther escaped no man / but alle were slayne to the nombre of xxx M / And whan the bataille was all ended the kynge kneled doune and thanked god mekely / and thenne he sente for the quene and soone she was come / and she maade grete Ioye of the ouercomynge of that bataille

To win or prevail in some sort of battle, contest, etc.

:

*

, chapter=2, title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=That the young Mr. Churchills liked—but they did not like him coming round of an evening and drinking weak whisky-and-water while he held forth on railway debentures and corporation loans. Mr. Barrett, however, by fawning and flattery, seemed to be able to make not only Mrs. Churchill but everyone else do what he desired. And if the arts of humbleness failed him, he overcame you by sheer impudence.}}

(usually in passive) To overwhelm with emotion.

:

To come or pass over; to spread over.

*Shakespeare

*:And overcome us like a summer's cloud.

To overflow; to surcharge.

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