1
as in humiliating
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes
there's no need to take us down by making fun of our clothes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in knocking down
to take apart
electricians will take down all the lights for the set after the play has finished its run
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in recording
to make a written note of
took down the customer's contact information
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of taking down
The ensuing public backlash led the Senate on Wednesday to unanimously agree with a measure that would block the government from taking down the OOI.
—
John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 18 June 2026
The board authorized the change to the uniform 80 mph speed limit in a 3-2 vote, directing ITD staff to begin taking down the truck speed limit signs.
—Rose Evans
updated June 18, Idaho Statesman, 18 June 2026
The Paraguayans will be making their return to the World Cup stage for the first time since 2010, and have been giant killers throughout their qualifying rounds, taking down the likes of South American heavyweights Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil.
—Austin Perry, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026
Among the most controversial aspects of the foundation’s plans — and part of what inspired a lawsuit — were taking down old-growth trees on the site in Jackson Park.
—A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2026
Roberts opened up the space by taking down office partitions in the roughly 1,500-square-foot store, 3941 Park Drive, Suite 80.
—Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 13 May 2026
On Monday morning, Stockton police returned to the area, taking down tents and removing people still living near the slough.
—Nina Burns, CBS News, 12 May 2026
Brandon Steiner is in charge of taking down and selling items from Highmark Stadium.
—Sam Brock, NBC news, 8 Apr. 2026
Playing on the second night of a back-to-back at Kia Center after taking down the Suns less than 24 hours earlier, the Magic fell behind by as many as 31 points in a 130-101 loss to the Hawks, who secured the four-game regular-season series sweep between the Southeast Division foes.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026
John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 18 June 2026
The board authorized the change to the uniform 80 mph speed limit in a 3-2 vote, directing ITD staff to begin taking down the truck speed limit signs.
—Rose Evans
updated June 18, Idaho Statesman, 18 June 2026
The Paraguayans will be making their return to the World Cup stage for the first time since 2010, and have been giant killers throughout their qualifying rounds, taking down the likes of South American heavyweights Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil.
—Austin Perry, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026
Among the most controversial aspects of the foundation’s plans — and part of what inspired a lawsuit — were taking down old-growth trees on the site in Jackson Park.
—A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2026
Roberts opened up the space by taking down office partitions in the roughly 1,500-square-foot store, 3941 Park Drive, Suite 80.
—Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 13 May 2026
On Monday morning, Stockton police returned to the area, taking down tents and removing people still living near the slough.
—Nina Burns, CBS News, 12 May 2026
Brandon Steiner is in charge of taking down and selling items from Highmark Stadium.
—Sam Brock, NBC news, 8 Apr. 2026
Playing on the second night of a back-to-back at Kia Center after taking down the Suns less than 24 hours earlier, the Magic fell behind by as many as 31 points in a 130-101 loss to the Hawks, who secured the four-game regular-season series sweep between the Southeast Division foes.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking down
Verb
-
New Yorkers will recall the assholic behavior of the Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, a swaggering builder of ships, who always seemed to delight in humiliating his managers and players.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
11 June 2026
-
In her report, Soto accused Sibrian of allegedly mocking and humiliating her for her accent, immigration status and race and calling her stupid.—
Rachel McRady,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Marsha Smith was in her apartment building in Merrillville, about 33 miles southeast of Chicago, when the tornado struck the complex, tearing roofs off three buildings, knocking down trees and breaking car windshields before heavy rain caused more damage to the homes.—
DAVE COLLINS,
Arkansas Online,
13 June 2026
-
And the Bulls needed King’s help to overcome a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter of Game 6 in the 1992 NBA Finals, knocking down a late jumper against the Portland Trail Blazers that stood out as one of the most memorable highlights of his career.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Formed in 1967 in the city that would share its name, Chicago was a major hit-maker for decades, recording nearly 40 albums and selling, according to some sources, more than 100 million records.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
17 June 2026
-
The song will be performed by the five BMAC x America250 Voices of Tomorrow grant recipients and some of today’s biggest recording artists, and will be released in early July.—
Christine Imarenezor,
VIBE.com,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
Defense attorney Tom Mesereau was an expert at discrediting witnesses, subjects told the filmmakers, but certain key witnesses, like Janet Arvizo, struggled to connect with the jury on their own.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2026
-
If the Knicks had that happen to them, everyone would be discrediting them.—
David Troy OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Reagan and Thatcher were dismantling the postwar labour settlement—deregulating industries, busting unions, privatizing state assets, cutting corporate taxes from highs above 50% to the 20s.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
17 June 2026
-
The Education Department said McMahon spent over six months in listening sessions with families, advocates and educators to better understand concerns around how the department’s dismantling could affect special education.—
Annie Ma,
Chicago Tribune,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
The backstory The Ranch’s history traces back to the early days of Yellowstone—in which the Ranch had a seat at the table when discussing the formation of the town of Big Sky, the evolution of ranching and logging in the Northern Rockies, and the region’s overall wilderness preservation.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 June 2026
-
Vince Gilligan and Rhea Seehorn, the creator and star of Apple TV drama series Pluribus, have the kind of easy camaraderie that comes from logging over a decade of prestige television together.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
13 June 2026
Verb
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Then to Sydney Harbour, the very scene of that embarrassing capsize exactly a year earlier, and the Americans won the event outright for a first win since October 2023.—
Andrew Rice,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
-
Lutnick's voluntary closed-door interview comes amid a monthslong procession of powerful people summoned before the committee, many of whom have been subjected to embarrassing revelations in the more than 3 million pages of records known as the Epstein files.—
Graham Kates,
CBS News,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Beating top teams is one (important) thing, breaking down more defensive sides is another.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
But the company touts itself as a more sophisticated method than merely detecting if a work is present in training data, rather breaking down on a more granular level how the works are being used.—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Taking down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taking%20down. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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