- a furnace or incinerator for the disposal of refuse, esp one that uses the resulting heat to generate power
- a device used to blow up a dangerously defective missile or rocket after launching
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
de•struc•tor
(di struk′tər),USA pronunciation n.
- British Termsa furnace for the burning of refuse;
incinerator. - Rocketrya destruct mechanism or device for destroying an off-course airborne missile or launch vehicle.
- Late Latin dēstructor, equivalent. to Latin dēstruc- variant stem of dēstruere (see destruction) + -tor -tor
- 1685–95
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
destructor /dɪˈstrʌktə/ n
'destructor' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):