teardown

1 of 2

noun

tear·​down ˈter-ˌdau̇n 

: the act or process of disassembling

tear down

2 of 2

verb

tore down; torn down; tearing down; tears down

transitive verb

1

a

: to cause to decompose or disintegrate

b

: vilify, denigrate

trying to tear down his reputation

2

: to take apart : disassemble

tear down an engine

Synonyms of teardown

Verb

• destroy
• ruin
• demolish
• shatter
• wreck
• devastate
• overcome
• pull down
• smash
• damage

Examples of teardown in a Sentence

Verb

vandals tore down the wooden fence blocking the entrance to the beach

the new owners apparently bought the house just to tear it down and build a lavish mansion in its place

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Miami Dolphins Give the Dolphins credit for going all in on the teardown. — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 6 Sep. 2026

The inability to move the chains or protect the quarterback eventually brought an end to Stefanski's six-year run in Cleveland, setting off a massive winter teardown. — David Troy Outkick, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2026

Verb

And that still hasn’t prevented cliffs from eroding so much that teetering apartments had to be torn down. — Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026

Miller is referring to the original First National Bank building at Dearborn and Monroe, a contemporary of the Rector Building designed by Daniel Burnham and torn down in 1970. — Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1926, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for teardown

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

Kids Definition

tear down

verb

: to knock down and break into pieces

tear down an old building