destroy the evidence
/dɪˈstrɔɪ ði ˈɛvɪdəns/
Meaning
This expression means to ruin, burn, delete, or eliminate any physical or digital proof that could link someone to a crime, mistake, or wrongdoing. While common in legal, crime, and detective contexts, it is also frequently used in a lighthearted or humorous way in daily life, such as hiding proof of eating the last cookie.
Examples
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The suspect tried to destroy the evidence by throwing his laptop into the river.
The suspect tried to destroy the evidence by throwing his laptop into the river.
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Quick, eat the last slice of cake and destroy the evidence before Mom gets home!
Quick, eat the last slice of cake and destroy the evidence before Mom gets home!
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He deleted all his text messages in an attempt to destroy the evidence of the prank.
He deleted all his text messages in an attempt to destroy the evidence of the prank.
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The shredder was used to destroy the evidence of the unauthorized financial transactions.
The shredder was used to destroy the evidence of the unauthorized financial transactions.
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You can't just destroy the evidence and pretend that nothing ever happened.
You can't just destroy the evidence and pretend that nothing ever happened.
Common Mistakes
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✗ They tried to destroy the proofs.
✓ They tried to destroy the evidence.
'Evidence' is an uncountable noun in English. Using the plural 'proofs' in this context is grammatically incorrect and sounds unnatural.
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✗ He broke the evidence to hide his mistake.
✓ He destroyed the evidence to hide his mistake.
While 'broke' means physical damage, 'destroy' is the specific collocation used when completely eliminating proof or evidence.
Related Expressions
Practice
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The corrupt executive ordered his secretary to shred the documents and ___.
💡 Get rid of all proof of the wrongdoing.
Show answer
destroy the evidence
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I accidentally spilled coffee on the broken vase to ___ of my clumsiness.
💡 Humorous context. Hide the proof of a mistake.
Show answer
destroy the evidence