self-destruct

verb

Definition of self-destructnext
as in to implode

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of self-destruct Researchers have developed a new type of plastic that can self-destruct on command. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 3 May 2026 So, when it is confirmed that the FBI can extract incoming Signal messages on an iPhone in the physical possession of agents, even if the Signal app itself has already been deleted, and messages were set to self-destruct, alarm bells tend to sound. — Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2026 In that kind of disaster scenario, the crew capsule separates to save the astronauts, and the rocket self-destructs to avoid risk to people on the ground in its flight path. — Charlie Gile, NBC news, 1 Apr. 2026 Engineers also replaced batteries in the rocket's self-destruct system, recharged a variety of other batteries and replaced seals in the first stage liquid oxygen propellant umbilical mechanism. — William Harwood, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for self-destruct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-destruct
  1. implode
  2. crumble
  3. go under
Verb
  • But the high hopes for that threesome imploded after the Mavericks sent Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis in a deal before the trade deadline in 2025.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The Red Raiders won’t implode without Sorsby, but don’t expect another 12-win season.
    — Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of implode
Verb
  • For decades, Mamdani’s predecessors have found the only choice more politically unpalatable than letting the whole three-layer cake of infrastructure crumble away is trying to stop it from crumbling.
    — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The crumbling structure carries roughly 130,000 vehicles daily — of which some 13,000 are trucks — and has been in serious need of repair since the de Blasio administration.
    — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of crumble
Verb
  • The group will be responsible for offering more care — and more kinds of it — as hospitals go under, Judge said.
    — Daniel Payne, STAT, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The first is the construction of the data center building, and the second is the compute servers and networking equipment that go under the roof.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of go under

Browse Nearby Words

self-despair
self-destruct
self-destructed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Self-destruct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-destruct. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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