self-destruct

American  

[self-di-struhkt] / ˈsɛlf dɪˈstrʌkt /

verb (used without object)

1. to destroy itself or oneself.

   The missile is built so that a malfunction will cause it to self-destruct.

2. to cause itself or oneself to reach a state of collapse, dysfunction, confusion, or the like.

   The committee is so disorganized it will probably self-destruct before it can accomplish anything.

---

adjective

1. causing something to self-destruct.

   a self-destruct mechanism.

self-destruct British  

verb

1. (intr) to explode or disintegrate automatically as a result of pre-programming

   the missile self-destructed

2. to destroy oneself, one's reputation, etc, through one's habits or actions

   I totally self-destructed with drugs

---

noun

1. ( as modifier )

   hit the self-destruct button

Etymology

Origin of self-destruct

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70

Explanation

When something self-destructs, it destroys itself. In the military, weapons such as land mines are intended to self-destruct. There are bombs and rocket boosters that are programmed to self-destruct as they perform their jobs, and you can also use this verb in a figurative way when someone acts in a way that harms themselves. If your friend is missing school, failing tests, and alienating his friends, you might worry that you're watching him self-destruct. The first known use of self-destruct was in the 1960s TV show "Mission: Impossible."

Example Sentences

Caspase-8 plays a central role in regulating immune responses and can trigger a process that causes a cell to self-destruct.

From Science Daily • Feb. 16, 2026

"But it doesn't help our chances of success if Ben Stokes keeps encouraging our batsmen to attack, attack with one finger hovering over the self-destruct button," Boycott wrote in his Daily Telegraph column.

From Barron's • Dec. 1, 2025

These shoot a virus such as herpes into tumors, causing them to self-destruct.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 16, 2025

Then around Christmas in 2013, Kinch’s career began to self-destruct.

From Salon • Jan. 7, 2025

In 1983 two scientists suggested in Nature that tinkering with the energy of the vacuum might cause the universe to self-destruct.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife