demolish
verb
de·mol·ish
di-ˈmä-lish 
demolished; demolishing; demolishes
2
: to cause irreparable damage to: such as
a
: to break to pieces : smash
His car was demolished in the accident.
b
: to do away with : destroy
… a filibuster which would effectively demolish the issue …—
Current Biography
Current Biography… a performance so awkward and apathetic it instantly appeared to demolish any chance of restoring her declining career …—Dave Itzkoff
Dave Itzkoff3
informal
: to defeat (a person or team) easily or completely
4
informal
: to eat all of quickly
demolished the pizza
demolisher
noun
Examples of demolish in a Sentence
The old factory was demolished to make way for a new parking lot.
Tons of explosives were used to demolish the building.
The town hopes to restore the old theater rather than have it demolished.
The car was demolished in the accident.
They demolished the other team 51–7.
Recent Examples on the Web
There are also cities on the other side, even though they have been largely demolished.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 2 Jan. 2026
The final preparations are under way for the CTA State/Lake station to close Monday for the next three years, as it's demolished and reconstructed.
—Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 2 Jan. 2026
Seco owns land surrounding the former LaGrave Field grandstand that was demolished in February.
—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Jan. 2026
The proposal includes demolishing the restaurant building that remains and constructing a one-floor, 229,000-square-foot commercial retail space and additional buildings on six outlot parcels to be added later, according to village reports.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for demolish
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Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 2 Jan. 2026
The final preparations are under way for the CTA State/Lake station to close Monday for the next three years, as it's demolished and reconstructed.
—Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 2 Jan. 2026
Seco owns land surrounding the former LaGrave Field grandstand that was demolished in February.
—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Jan. 2026
The proposal includes demolishing the restaurant building that remains and constructing a one-floor, 229,000-square-foot commercial retail space and additional buildings on six outlot parcels to be added later, according to village reports.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Cite this Entry
“Demolish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demolish. Accessed 4 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
demolish
verb
de·mol·ish
di-ˈmäl-ish
demolisher
noun
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