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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of demolish
That arena in Overtown has been demolished, replaced with places to play along the Miami bayfront and in Sunrise.
—
Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 31 Mar. 2026
The city government undertook a campaign to demolish buildings constructed illegally on public land, targeting several commercial structures after issuing a 35-day notice.
—Ethan Teekah, Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
Photos taken by the Associated Press on October 23, 2025, showed that the East Wing had been demolished.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
It was demolished to make way for a 7,000 square-foot gallery that opened in April 2022 at MCASD.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 31 Mar. 2026
The city government undertook a campaign to demolish buildings constructed illegally on public land, targeting several commercial structures after issuing a 35-day notice.
—Ethan Teekah, Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
Photos taken by the Associated Press on October 23, 2025, showed that the East Wing had been demolished.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
It was demolished to make way for a 7,000 square-foot gallery that opened in April 2022 at MCASD.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demolish
Verb
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Later, a fire at Hall’s grandmother’s house would destroy most of his magic act.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
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This time around, in that first wave of strikes on February 28, American cruise missiles targeted and destroyed a building that ended up being a girls’ school—killing more than 168 young children who had just started their day of classes.—
Connor Okeeffe,
Oc Register,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
29 Mar. 2026
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Accused of ruining baseball with their big-spending ways the past two years, the noise has only gotten louder as a labor showdown looms.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But customers should not expect earth-shattering menu changes.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
2 Apr. 2026
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World Cup That dream come true feeling Some dreams were shattered last night, other dreams were made.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The uncertain future of the landmark building has divided the congregation and raised alarm bells for preservationists who have seen generations of Atlanta’s historic buildings razed and redeveloped.—
Zachary Hansen,
AJC.com,
3 Apr. 2026
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However, by the time this first European portrait of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan was published in 1524, the city, once home to perhaps 200,000 people, was already gone — razed in 1521 by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The mother of a 7-month-old girl killed by a stray bullet while sitting in her stroller in Brooklyn is devastated by Wednesday's horrific tragedy.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
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On May 18, 1980, the north slope of Mount Saint Helens, a volcanic peak in the Cascades Range, was blasted away in an eruption that killed 57 people and devastated an area of approximately 200 square miles.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Littleton police say the driver behind the wheel of a semi-truck that crashed into a QuickTrip on West Belleview Avenue and smashed a car against a wall is facing careless driving charges.—
Karen Morfitt,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
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Kayleigh Martin smashed a home run, Chloe Veator drove in two runs in Tewksbury’s 4-3 nonleague win over Woburn.—
Jack Murray,
Boston Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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One such attack on March 27 wrecked an AWACS at Prince Sultan Air Base in eastern Saudi Arabia.—
Sig Christenson,
San Antonio Express-News,
1 Apr. 2026
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The war goes on, and Iran has shown its ability to hit American targets in the region, as well as to wreck the global economy.—
Steve Chapman,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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Pitchers and batters are both worse than a coin-flip at issuing challenges – blown calls in a matter of seconds.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demolish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demolish. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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