1.
to destroy, to ruin, to annihilate
To bring about the complete destruction or downfall of something, typically a nation, civilization, organization, or one's own well-being. Implies total and often irreversible destruction.
戦争が国を滅ぼした。
War destroyed the nation.
欲が身を滅ぼすこともある。
Greed can sometimes ruin a person.
織田信長は多くの敵対勢力を滅ぼして天下統一を目指した。
Oda Nobunaga destroyed many rival forces in his pursuit of national unification.
USAGE:
The transitive counterpart of 滅びる (to perish, to be ruined). Carries a dramatic, weighty tone and is often used in historical, literary, or philosophical contexts.
The proverb 驕る者は久しからず (身を滅ぼす) — "the arrogant do not last long" — captures the common figurative usage about self-destruction through excess.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 国を滅ぼす: to destroy a nation
- 身を滅ぼす: to ruin oneself
- 敵を滅ぼす: to annihilate the enemy
- 文明を滅ぼす: to destroy a civilization
Related Words
Pair verb:
滅びる (intransitive)