as in wrecking
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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
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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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of demolishing
Matthew Glowicki, The Courier-Journal, 28 Aug. 2025
Jason Rantala, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2026
The city should follow that advice, and scrap the idea of demolishing its historic civic architecture.
—Mark Lamster
architecture Critic, Dallas Morning News, 11 Mar. 2026
Dafoe plays Lucius, who has managed an iconic hotel in Vienna for 30 years and learns the building has been sold to an Argentine developer who plans on demolishing it.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 10 Mar. 2026
Expanding Publix The move in Doral comes as Publix continues expanding in South Florida, often by demolishing older stores in shopping centers the Lakeland chain owns.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
The arena, which would host sports, concerts and other events, is is expected to cost around $242 million to build, though the entire renovation, which includes demolishing the 58-year-old Millet Hall and installing parking near Cook Field, could cost up to $281 million.
—Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer, 27 Feb. 2026
Other possibilities involve demolishing the structure for street-level transit or repurposing it as a pedestrian and bicycle trail.
—David Bauerlein, Florida Times-Union, 26 Feb. 2026
The city kicked in $8 million in tax credits, grants, and loans, buying the land and demolishing the building that had stood on it.
—Bryce Covert, Bon Appetit Magazine, 25 Feb. 2026
The next phase includes demolishing the former office area of the reactor and portions of its outer structure.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 24 Feb. 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
Simply demolishing it would cost a tiny fraction of that.
—Jason Rantala, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2026
The city should follow that advice, and scrap the idea of demolishing its historic civic architecture.
—Mark Lamster
architecture Critic, Dallas Morning News, 11 Mar. 2026
Dafoe plays Lucius, who has managed an iconic hotel in Vienna for 30 years and learns the building has been sold to an Argentine developer who plans on demolishing it.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 10 Mar. 2026
Expanding Publix The move in Doral comes as Publix continues expanding in South Florida, often by demolishing older stores in shopping centers the Lakeland chain owns.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
The arena, which would host sports, concerts and other events, is is expected to cost around $242 million to build, though the entire renovation, which includes demolishing the 58-year-old Millet Hall and installing parking near Cook Field, could cost up to $281 million.
—Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer, 27 Feb. 2026
Other possibilities involve demolishing the structure for street-level transit or repurposing it as a pedestrian and bicycle trail.
—David Bauerlein, Florida Times-Union, 26 Feb. 2026
The city kicked in $8 million in tax credits, grants, and loans, buying the land and demolishing the building that had stood on it.
—Bryce Covert, Bon Appetit Magazine, 25 Feb. 2026
The next phase includes demolishing the former office area of the reactor and portions of its outer structure.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demolishing
Noun
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At least, there was a lot less wrecking.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
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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
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Iran itself is destroying homes and schools, killing and wounding dozens, and disrupting daily life, sometimes beyond recognition.—
Michael M. Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
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But destroying much of Iran’s ability to project power and attacking the security forces that suppress the Iranian public will surely hasten the regime’s collapse.—
Dennis Ross,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The president, who admits this all could be challenged in court, urged the panel to back the SCORE Act, which would preempt state regulation of NIL payments, which the Commander in Chief says are especially ruining women’s sports.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Mar. 2026
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Google Nest WiFi Deal Bad Wi-Fi has a way of ruining everything.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Five of his shots were blocked by Virginia center Ugonna Onyenso, who finished with nine for the game and an ACC Tournament-record 20 over three games, shattering Tim Duncan’s record of 14, which stood for 31 years.—
Steve Reed,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
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Luxury real estate is getting even more exclusive The backdrop of this trend is a record-shattering luxury real estate market.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction famously took on the traditional ideas of the hero’s journey and destruction in storytelling, arguing that the earliest human tool was not a weapon, but a container, such as a bag, a basket, or even a net, designed for gathering and storing food.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Mar. 2026
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While humans have learned to harness the wind to create clean energy, there’s no way to stop hurricane-force winds or tornadoes that cause destruction.—
Sheryl De Vore,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Instead of razing buildings, Robinson wants to repurpose buildings that were significant to the Black community, including Theodore Roosevelt High School.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
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Trump said Saturday that the operation is aimed at razing Iran’s military and nuclear capability and dismantling its theocratic regime, and at one point even told Iranians to overthrow its government.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Have a little fun in the kitchen smashing the tiny spuds before seasoning with garlic and rosemary.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
14 Mar. 2026
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Irons pounds the drums like Bam-Bam smashing on two garbage-can lids.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Wind speeds were blowing at 12 mph in Grant, with gusts up to 29 mph, and Fairplay was seeing winds at 21 mph with gusts of up to 38 mph at the time of the closure, according to AccuWeather.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
17 Mar. 2026
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Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demolishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demolishing. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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