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"destroy" is also used as a crossword clue. If that's what you saw, the answer is often zap (3 letters).
Definitions
defeat soundly and humiliatingly
Word origin
From Middle English destroyen, from Old French destruire, Vulgar Latin *destrugō, from Classical Latin dēstruō, from dē- (“un-, de-”) + struō (“to build”).
Used in a sentence
“The earthquake destroyed several apartment complexes.”
“Hooligans destroy unprovoked.”
“Iesus answered, and said vnto them, Destroy this temple, and in three dayes I will raise it vp.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer1 curated clues
01“Ruin completely”7 letters
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