1
as in destroying
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
vandals tore down the wooden fence blocking the entrance to the beach
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in demolishing
to destroy (as a building) completely by knocking down or breaking to pieces
the new owners apparently bought the house just to tear it down and build a lavish mansion in its place
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tearing down
Some agitators—likely external infiltrators—pushed the protesters forward, tearing down barricades as chants intensified.
—
Sonal Nain, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Seconds after the anchors thanked Pulte for appearing and handed things off to Squawk on the Street, the production crew were tearing down the set and prepping for the opening bell.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
But the new private terminal is winning their support, with the backing of historians and preservationists who have been fighting to maintain South Florida’s aviation legacy in a region known for tearing down buildings.
—Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
The Raiders traded him to the Cowboys midway through the 2018 campaign, as the team was tearing down the roster.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2025
In Fort Worth’s Stop Six neighborhood, a $35 million HUD Choice Neighborhoods grant is tearing down old public housing and replacing it with new homes, better schools, and streets that can handle a heavy thunderstorm without shutting the neighborhood down.
—Lenwood V. Long, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Workers have begun tearing down the former Sacramento Bee offices on 21st Street, once an expansive and bustling complex, making way for housing projects at the site that served as the newspaper’s home for nearly 70 years.
—Sacbee.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Dramatic video from the Himalayan village of Dharali, Uttarakhand state, shows the wall of water, mud and debris tearing down the mountainside and through the village, destroying the homes and businesses in its path.
—Taylor Ward, CNN Money, 5 Aug. 2025
Sonal Nain, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Seconds after the anchors thanked Pulte for appearing and handed things off to Squawk on the Street, the production crew were tearing down the set and prepping for the opening bell.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
But the new private terminal is winning their support, with the backing of historians and preservationists who have been fighting to maintain South Florida’s aviation legacy in a region known for tearing down buildings.
—Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
The Raiders traded him to the Cowboys midway through the 2018 campaign, as the team was tearing down the roster.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2025
In Fort Worth’s Stop Six neighborhood, a $35 million HUD Choice Neighborhoods grant is tearing down old public housing and replacing it with new homes, better schools, and streets that can handle a heavy thunderstorm without shutting the neighborhood down.
—Lenwood V. Long, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Workers have begun tearing down the former Sacramento Bee offices on 21st Street, once an expansive and bustling complex, making way for housing projects at the site that served as the newspaper’s home for nearly 70 years.
—Sacbee.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Dramatic video from the Himalayan village of Dharali, Uttarakhand state, shows the wall of water, mud and debris tearing down the mountainside and through the village, destroying the homes and businesses in its path.
—Taylor Ward, CNN Money, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tearing down
Verb
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The military has also been targeting and destroying high-rise buildings surrounding displacement camps, crowding Gaza City’s residents into ever-smaller spaces.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
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Ultimately, North was found guilty of destroying official documents, accepting a home security system as a gift and obstructing Congress in 1989.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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An image taken on August 19 shows Israeli excavators and bulldozers demolishing buildings in Zeitoun.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
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About 90% of the former Spring Hill Mall is gone and work demolishing the final anchor store set to begin in the next couple of weeks, officials said.—
Gloria Casas,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Car designers love them for not ruining the lines of the door with the necessities of real life, but is the benefit from drag reduction worth the safety risk?—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
10 Sep. 2025
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And broadcasting your irritation too loudly risks ruining the atmosphere for everyone else just as much as their yelling or off-key chants.—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott,
Southern Living,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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However, where iOS 7 applied a flatter, minimalist effect to windows and icons and their edges, iOS 26 adds a (sometimes frosted) glassy look and a mildly fluid movement to actions such as pulling down menus or long-pressing controls.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
17 Sep. 2025
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Madrid played with a player less for almost an hour after the centre-back was shown a direct red card in the 32nd minute for pulling down opponent Mikel Oyarzabal, who was through on goal.—
Mario Cortegana,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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More than just devastating the lives of these commuters — most of whom earn under $49,000 per year and work blue-collar jobs — each of these cars on the freeway is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions.—
Stan Oklobdzija,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 2025
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After a series of devastating airstrikes, the Israeli military is sending its ground forces into Gaza City, causing thousands of Palestinians to flee and escalating a humanitarian crisis in the region.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The group also recently stepped out together at a University of Cincinnati football game, which just so happened to be Swift and Kelce’s first public outing since announcing their plans to get married with an internet-shattering post on Instagram in August.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
16 Sep. 2025
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Pamela Warner, mother and manager of the late actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, reflected on the life-shattering moment her son had untimely passed away.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Adam Berry/Getty Images What To Know Phoenix police said in a release to media that a 19-year-old was detained after wrecking a memorial for Kirk at the office of Turning Point USA, the conservative campus group that Kirk co-founded.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
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Despite the mixed reception, the money counter was an earnest attempt to keep the show running on schedule, preventing one or two self-indulgent speakers from wrecking the running time.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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From the Luddites smashing looms in 19th-century England to autoworkers walking out over the introduction of robots to the factory floor in the 1980s, resistance has flared before either being crushed or subsiding, giving way to the new economies and social orders the technologies ushered in.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
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The 40th anniversary of John Farnham’s record-smashing 1986 album Whispering Jack will be celebrated with a new musical.—
Lars Brandle,
Billboard,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tearing down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tearing%20down. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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