verb ·3 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb

1. 1
   To destroy oneself or itself. figuratively, usually

   "The submarine was primed to self-destruct."

2. 2
   do away with oneself or itself wordnet
3. 3
   To destroy or greatly damage one's position in a game, in one's work or career, in one's financial or social position, etc.

   "If you attack with an energy level of only 30 you are going to self-destruct."

Synonyms

All synonyms

autodestructself-destroy

Example

More examples

"This sentence will self-destruct in five seconds."

Etymology

From self- + destruct.

Related phrases

self-destruction

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.