1
as in to destroy
to destroy (as a building) completely by knocking down or breaking to pieces
developers demolished the old warehouse to make room for the new shopping mall
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to ruin
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
most of the buildings in the town had been demolished in the bombing raid
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to shatter
to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive
terrorists used a powerful pipe bomb to demolish the concrete wall around the compound
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of demolish
Back in Vegas, Marcus and his loved ones watch the Tropicalia get demolished and lament the old Vegas, the one that wasn’t all sterile and lame and full of chain stores.
—
Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 30 May 2025
The developer demolished the old ICCU building that sat on the lot with the city’s approval, but hit pause on the project as interest rates and construction costs skyrocketed.
—Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 29 May 2025
Because the Panthers demolished the home team in each game, outscoring the Maple Leafs and Hurricanes by a combined score of 22-4.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 23 May 2025
Instead of fulfilling Brown’s promise of racial inclusion and integration, highways became a tool of resistance to civil rights—concrete weapons used to demolish Black neighborhoods and re-segregate cities under the guise of progress.
—Deborah N. Archer, Time, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 30 May 2025
The developer demolished the old ICCU building that sat on the lot with the city’s approval, but hit pause on the project as interest rates and construction costs skyrocketed.
—Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 29 May 2025
Because the Panthers demolished the home team in each game, outscoring the Maple Leafs and Hurricanes by a combined score of 22-4.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 23 May 2025
Instead of fulfilling Brown’s promise of racial inclusion and integration, highways became a tool of resistance to civil rights—concrete weapons used to demolish Black neighborhoods and re-segregate cities under the guise of progress.
—Deborah N. Archer, Time, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demolish
Verb
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Aid distributed inside Israeli military zones Gaza’s roughly 2 million Palestinians are almost completely reliant on international aid because nearly all food production capabilities have been destroyed.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2025
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If trillion-dollar bonds are required to contest trillion-dollar damages our government is causing, that destroys the protections our Constitution provides its citizens against the rule of tyrants.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 June 2025
Verb
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Sara Schilling,
Miami Herald,
13 June 2025
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The front nine, which has ruined more than a handful of U.S. Open rounds over the last two days, proved to be much tougher.—
Troy Finnegan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 June 2025
Verb
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Windshields of cars were shattered, bulldozers were removing rubble.—
Rebecca Rosman,
NPR,
14 June 2025
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The militia’s rank and file, meanwhile, was shattered first by pagers, then walkie-talkies that detonated in their hands, having been boobytrapped by Mossad.—
Karl Vick,
Time,
13 June 2025
Verb
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Then, during World War II, the entire community was uprooted and the village razed.—
Claire Wang,
NBC news,
31 May 2025
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The dunes are pretty impressive at 110 feet tall—give or take a little, depending on the airflow—but one woman’s tenacity kept them from being razed.—
Jennifer Prince,
Southern Living,
30 May 2025
Verb
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While Michael has not addressed these allegations, we are devastated by even the implications.—
Jessica Nicholson,
Billboard,
6 June 2025
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Chimney Rock State Park is set to reopen exactly nine months after being devastated by Hurricane Helene.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
6 June 2025
Verb
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Two weeks ago, vandals threw bricks through the front office window, smashing a few items inside.—
Rachel Uranga,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2025
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Summer McIntosh’s super summer The Canadian swimming phenom made history for the second time in three days by smashing a decade-old record in the 200m individual medley.—
Jade Walker,
CNN Money,
11 June 2025
Verb
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DeChambeau became the first defending champion to miss the cut at the national championship since Gary Woodland in 2020 — his round wrecked by errant drives, knucklers out of the rough and putts that would not drop.—
Apress,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 June 2025
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When the blowback from this problem child’s dodgy associations threatens to wreck her life, the everymatriarch steps in.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
13 June 2025
Verb
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Failing to install the tax would blow an additional $80 million hole in Chicago’s 2026 budget as the city already faces a budget gap of around $1 billion, Budget Director Annette Guzman said.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
4 June 2025
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Wind blows the dust into the atmosphere and begins moving it westward over the Atlantic Ocean.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Demolish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demolish. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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