demolish

verb

de·​mol·​ish di-ˈmä-lish 

demolished; demolishing; demolishes

transitive verb

1

: tear down, raze

demolish a building

2

: to cause irreparable damage to: such as

a

: to break to pieces : smash

His car was demolished in the accident.

b

: to do away with : destroy

… a filibuster which would effectively demolish the issue …

—Current Biography

… a performance so awkward and apathetic it instantly appeared to demolish any chance of restoring her declining career …

—Dave Itzkoff

c

: to strip of any pretense of merit or credence

demolished her debate opponents

demolish a stereotype

demolished myths about the disease

3

informal : to defeat (a person or team) easily or completely

4

informal : to eat all of quickly

demolished the pizza

demolisher noun

demolishment

di-ˈmä-lish-mənt 

noun

Synonyms of demolish

• destroy
• raze
• smash

Examples of demolish in a Sentence

The old factory was demolished to make way for a new parking lot.

Tons of explosives were used to demolish the building.

The town hopes to restore the old theater rather than have it demolished.

The car was demolished in the accident.

They demolished the other team 51–7.

Recent Examples on the Web

John Vignocchi, the CEO of Region Business, says the old state buildings should not be saved and reused, but demolished. —Steve Large, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026

Israel began demolishing the UNRWA headquarters in East Jerusalem Tuesday, following passage of a law that banned the activities of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees. —Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 20 Jan. 2026

Even as Dallas officials await detailed cost and condition reports on City Hall, a separate process is moving forward that could complicate any push to demolish the building. —Everton Bailey Jr, Dallas Morning News, 19 Jan. 2026

The University of Miami is facing controversy over plans to demolish its last standing mid-century modern dorms, sparking a debate between preservationists and university officials. —Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 19 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French demolir, extended stem demoliss- (with final conformed to earlier English verbs with the same ending, as nourish, perish), borrowed from Latin dēmōlīrī, dēmōlīre "to throw off, pull down, raze," from dē- de- + mōlīrī "to labor to bring about, strive, build, construct." probably derivative of mōlēs "large mass, massive structure, effort, exertion" — more at mole entry 4

First Known Use

1560, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for demolish

• abolish
• gaulish
• polish
• smallish

Kids Definition

demolish

verb

de·​mol·​ish di-ˈmäl-ish 

a

: tear down, raze

b

: to break to pieces : smash 2 : to do away with : put an end to

demolisher noun

demolishment

-ish-mənt 

noun