Synonyms: Destroy

You wish you could annihilate some memories, too, but you can’t do that, either. A Heart in a Body in the World

Deviations in arc of a hundredth of a milli-second—invisible to the eye—were enough to send the beam wildly out of focus—enough to blast hundreds of square miles of Earth into incandescent ruin. I, Robot

Vacant storefronts still blemish some of the historic district’s 40 square blocks, but thanks to plucky restaurateurs, gallery owners and shopkeepers, there’s a scent of promise mingling with the magnolias. The New York Times

Alyce began to watch the man, not knowing he had long watched her and wondered what could so blight a person so young. The Midwife's Apprentice

“After the planes attack, they will be combing the area house by house. Word is that they will butcher every living thing they find.” Tasting the Sky

Dinosaurs slice each other with sinister claws, gore each other with pointed horns and clobber each other with clubbed tails. The New York Times

The wall of molasses crashed into the firehouse, knocking it completely off its foundation. 1919 The Year That Changed America

Miig crushed the tins as small as they could go so we could bury them along with our other minimal garbage by the latrine. The Marrow Thieves

For a number of years California rice growers have been treating seed with DDT as protection against tadpole shrimp and scavenger beetles which sometimes damage seedling rice. Silent Spring

They avoided the engine, though some were drawn into it and dashed to pieces by the slicing propellers. The Subtle Knife

Our own hoverplanes were grounded after the Capitol’s antiaircraft missiles decimated the first few waves. Mockingjay

He also told me that the first map he defaced was a map of the state. Challenger Deep

A giant monstrous arm swung back and demolished the walls to the parson’s bedrooms. A Monster Calls

As if to confirm people’s biblical fears, the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Lisbon in 1755 struck on 1 November: All Saints’ Day. The Story of Music

Princess Shireen was curled up in a window seat, her hood drawn up to hide the worst of the greyscale that had disfigured her face. A Dance with Dragons

A few years before, Dad had been hired by Utah Power to dismantle hundreds of utility towers. Educated

The mourning depressed Mama something terrible and disrupted our lives. Bad Boy

On May 11, 1906, the wrecking company dynamited the wheel, for scrap. The Devil in the White City

In contrast, man has put the vast majority of carcinogens into the environment, and he can, if he wishes, eliminate many of them. Silent Spring

I want to eradicate the violence that is going on in my neighborhood and give back to my community the way John Tu has given back to me. The Freedom Writers Diary

The beach was only a few hundred yards away when the sphere turned lava-hot and the helicopter exploded, shooting flames in every direction. The House of Hades

Empires with steel weapons were able to conquer or exterminate tribes with weapons of stone and wood. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies

The two aims of the Party are to conquer the whole surface of the earth and to extinguish once and for all the possibility of independent thought. 1984

Or perhaps those cells are able to only suppress the leukemia cells, not extirpate them. The Washington Post

In the earlier discussion, however, I was referring to things that impair our ability to solve problems. Blink

I stayed up nursing my pride, the only thing I really injured. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky

If an earthquake levels a city, people all over the world will send emergency supplies. The Martian

“They said they will liquidate the ghetto only if we do not come out. By hiding, we seal our death warrant,” Moshe said. Prisoner B-3087

Unlike the muddy tracks that passed for roads in the Seven Kingdoms, the Valyrian roads were wide enough for three wagons to pass abreast, and neither time nor traffic marred them. A Dance with Dragons

He tells me how he heard that the Spanish came and massacred all of the French settlers—men, women, and children. Blood on the River

"The Starks do not murder men in their beds." A Game of Thrones

With his one hand it would be possible in seconds to squeeze Hatsue’s letter into motes of dust and obliterate its message forever. Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel

She fell backward in terror and almost got overwhelmed by the spider robots before I pulled her up and dragged her back toward the boat. The Lightning Thief

The shelling knocked down power lines, pulverized entire blocks of shops and homes. A Thousand Splendid Suns

Colonial governments, and later the United States, frequently deployed rangers to quash Indigenous resistance and displace Indigenous nations. An Indigenous People’s History of the United States

Other banks came to Nebraska Savings’ rescue, and the so-called “children’s run” was quelled. The Devil in the White City

The entire sky garden was beyond recognition, burned and charred as though an unseen force had ravaged every iota of life there. Beasts of Prey

A catastrophic earthquake razed Cahokia in the beginning of the thirteenth century, knocking down the entire western side of Monks Mound. 1491

Twice, I saw Twenty-One take on six attacking wolves from a rival pack — and rout them all,” Rick recalls. Salon

Losing a child ruins many a marriage; he could not bear to live without Emma. Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith

Called “werewolves,” the young commandos sabotaged army vehicles, pouring sand into gas tanks. Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow

“Take my word for it, jail scars the soul. And I was never able to help those I hurt.” Touching Spirit Bear

A cannonball shattered a tree right in front of them. I Survived the American Revolution, 1776

Victims of vicious anti-Semitism, thousands of Jews were slaughtered in massacres called pogroms. 1919 The Year That Changed America

"When the axes smash down those doors, you may be glad of him." A Clash of Kings

Do not spoil everything for me, she wanted to say, do not take away my chance. I'm the King of the Castle

Aside from a formal plea to the jury, which would not take place until the morrow, the psychiatrist’s testimony terminated Hickock’s planned defense. In Cold Blood

The British thrashed the Patriots in a big battle in Brooklyn. Chains

And they would torpedo those ships without first providing for the safety of passengers and crew, in violation of international agreements concerning naval warfare. The War to End All Wars: World War I

It was the same expression she wore when she had thoroughly trounced me in checkers. Jacob Have I Loved

The United States was upset in the group stage of the tournament by a 2-0 loss to Mexico — just the second loss in the 43-game series. The Seattle Times

Each enemy I vanquished dropped a pile of “Zenny coins” that I could later use to purchase armor, weapons, and potions from one of the bearded wise men scattered throughout each level. Ready Player One: A Novel

Before long, the extra demands vitiated the entire platoon, all of whom began to fall prey to heat stress. The Guardian

“Surely Earth Mother is offended that the Ugly One would place seeds into her. They won’t grow! Don’t waste our precious kernels by contaminating them with your hand!”The Ugly One

The Huskies whipped the Zags in the Elite Eight, but this was one of Gonzaga’s mortal teams compared to the top-seeded rosters they have put together in recent years. The Washington Post

Tutsis then used their control of the military to wipe out whole villages of Hutus. Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference

“First time I’d ever seen a captain wreck his own boat,” she said. Beyond the Bright Sea