as in wrecking
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
1
as in destroying
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ruining
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 shattering
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of demolishing
Matthew Glowicki, The Courier-Journal, 28 Aug. 2025
Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
And the city has further rules around demolishing older buildings, passed in late 2024.
—Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2026
The Thiel says 200 workers spent Saturday demolishing the stair tower and elevator shaft, and then the focus shifts to the rest of the building.
—Ryan Hughes, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
The musician and fashion mogul began the process of demolishing the architectural gem, completely stripping its electricity, plumbing, bathrooms, and windows.
—India Roby, Architectural Digest, 8 Apr. 2026
The Michigan basketball team is headed to the NCAA national championship game Monday night after demolishing Arizona 93-71 in the Final Four on Saturday in Indianapolis.
—Brian Manzullo, Freep.com, 5 Apr. 2026
Plans call for demolishing the three-story former office building on the site and constructing a single-story, 30-foot-tall building containing approximately 26,000 square feet of event space, according to information shared by the village.
—Jennifer Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
The city’s long-term plan calls for demolishing the existing facility and replacing it with a new permanent building.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2026
But the grumblings about demolishing the library building have lately become a roaring debate.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
Noun
In the filing, Omni Hotels outlined a five-year timeframe that would get the site fully designed, permitted and prepared for construction, noting construction would not start until at least five years after the demolishing of the buildings on site.
—Matthew Glowicki, The Courier-Journal, 28 Aug. 2025
Verb
Those sweaters have so much mojo, as shown by Allen just demolishing what looked to be a Corona.
—Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
And the city has further rules around demolishing older buildings, passed in late 2024.
—Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2026
The Thiel says 200 workers spent Saturday demolishing the stair tower and elevator shaft, and then the focus shifts to the rest of the building.
—Ryan Hughes, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
The musician and fashion mogul began the process of demolishing the architectural gem, completely stripping its electricity, plumbing, bathrooms, and windows.
—India Roby, Architectural Digest, 8 Apr. 2026
The Michigan basketball team is headed to the NCAA national championship game Monday night after demolishing Arizona 93-71 in the Final Four on Saturday in Indianapolis.
—Brian Manzullo, Freep.com, 5 Apr. 2026
Plans call for demolishing the three-story former office building on the site and constructing a single-story, 30-foot-tall building containing approximately 26,000 square feet of event space, according to information shared by the village.
—Jennifer Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
The city’s long-term plan calls for demolishing the existing facility and replacing it with a new permanent building.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2026
But the grumblings about demolishing the library building have lately become a roaring debate.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demolishing
Noun
-
At least, there was a lot less wrecking.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
-
The Ravens haven’t really had that game-wrecking pass rusher since Terrell Suggs was in his prime.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
As Miles manages to lift up Lily and get her out of there, MPKs start hurling flash-bangs, destroying the Ed Baldwin shrine and shooting a couple of protesters in the process.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Ukrainian forces are systematically striking Russian oil refineries, pipelines, and storage facilities over 600 miles inside Russia, destroying tens of billions in infrastructure and disrupting Moscow’s war finances.—
Hanna Arhirova,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Determining how the teen died took time, and after months of additional investigation, prosecutors announced charges against D4vd that allege her murder was a premeditated attempt to keep her from ruining his music career by exposing their underage relationship.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Additionally, wet windows can accumulate condensation overnight, potentially ruining your hard work.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In a race for the ages, Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds on Sunday, shattering the previous men’s world record by an astonishing 65 seconds.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The Kenyan runner won the London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds, shattering the previous men’s world record by 65 seconds.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
One chapter closes, another opens The destruction of several Russian Kamov Ka-52s using drones doesn’t signal the end of the attack helicopter by any means.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The pace of destruction was terrifying.—
Stefano Pozzebon,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The bulk of people experiencing emergency levels of hunger live in Haiti’s northwest region, including Artibonite, which gangs have mercilessly attacked in recent years, razing communities and destroying farmland.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The Park Service also sought to recover $213,387 in costs and damages stemming from two incidents in which Dateline and its contractors allegedly performed unpermitted roadwork, razing sensitive land and destroying hundreds of plants, according to the correspondence obtained by The Times last year.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But as anyone who’s dropped a mug knows, ceramics are also brittle and prone to smashing.—
Caitlin Kennedy,
Scientific American,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Police officers arrived at her Hollywood Hills home in Los Angeles and learned that the attackers had left the woman inside after allegedly smashing her jaw and choking her.—
Francie Ebert,
NBC news,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In addition, strong winds over desert areas could result in briefly lowered visibilities to well under a mile at times in blowing dust or blowing sand.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
25 Apr. 2026
-
This kind of build-up is unusual because volatile elements like sodium, which can get exposed after an object is blasted with micrometeorites, are usually later depleted by solar winds blowing from the sun and the general influence of space.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demolishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demolishing. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
