Definition

1. Verb:
   • To destroy completely: To cause something to cease to exist or function, often through a deliberate and thorough process, such as burning, shredding, or chemically breaking down.
   • To dispose of by destruction: To eliminate something, typically because it is harmful, illegal, or no longer needed, ensuring it cannot be recovered or used.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Cảnh sát đã tiêu hủy số ma túy bị thu giữ. (The police destroyed the confiscated drugs.)
  • Các tài liệu mật phải được tiêu hủy ngay lập tức. (The secret documents must be destroyed immediately.)
  • Họ tiêu hủy toàn bộ lô hàng hóa hư hỏng. (They destroyed the entire batch of damaged goods.)

Advanced Usage

• "tiêu hủy hàng giả": to destroy counterfeit goods.

  • Thủ tục tiêu hủy hàng giả rất nghiêm ngặt. (The procedure for destroying counterfeit goods is very strict.)

• "tiêu hủy bằng thiêu đốt": to destroy by incineration.

  • Rác thải y tế nguy hại thường được tiêu hủy bằng thiêu đốt. (Hazardous medical waste is often destroyed by incineration.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hủy (v): to cancel, to annul, to void. (Note: While related, "hủy" often refers to abstract things like plans or agreements, whereas "tiêu hủy" implies physical destruction.)

  • Họ đã hủy cuộc họp. (They canceled the meeting.)

• Phá hủy (v): to demolish, to wreck. (This can imply destruction through force or violence, often of structures.)

  • Cơn bão phá hủy nhiều ngôi nhà. (The storm destroyed many houses.)

Synonyms

• Destroy: To damage something so severely that it no longer exists or functions.
• Annihilate: To destroy completely, leaving no trace.
• Eliminate: To remove or get rid of something entirely.

Related Idioms

• Tiêu hủy bằng chứng: to destroy evidence.

  • Bị cáo bị cáo buộc tìm cách tiêu hủy bằng chứng. (The defendant is accused of trying to destroy evidence.)

• Tiêu hủy tận gốc: to destroy root and branch; to eradicate completely.

  • Chương trình nhằm tiêu hủy tận gốc dịch bệnh. (The program aims to eradicate the disease completely.)