demolish

verb

de·​mol·​ish di-ˈmä-lish How to pronounce demolish (audio)
demolished; demolishing; demolishes

transitive verb

1
a
: tear down, raze
demolish a building
b
: to break to pieces : smash
His car was demolished in the accident.
2
a
: to do away with : destroy
a filibuster which would effectively demolish the issueCurrent Biography
… a performance so awkward and apathetic it instantly appeared to demolish any chance of restoring her declining career …Dave Itzkoff
b
: to strip of any pretense of merit or credence
demolished her debate opponents
demolish a stereotype
demolisher noun
demolishment noun

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Lorenzo Valla, a brilliant scholar of the mid-fifteenth century, totally destroyed and demolished the text of the Donation on every conceivable level. JSTOR Daily, 16 Oct. 2025 On land, the current one- and two-story buildings will be demolished and replaced with 15,682 square feet of modern marina facilities spread across two, two-story buildings. Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Oct. 2025 The dorm is the only component of the former campus that Continuum didn’t demolish. Matthew Geiger, Denver Post, 15 Oct. 2025 It was sadly demolished in 1980 to make way for a parking lot, but its legacy lives on in the new club. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 14 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for demolish

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of demolish was in 1560

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Cite this Entry

“Demolish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demolish. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

demolish

verb
de·​mol·​ish di-ˈmäl-ish How to pronounce demolish (audio)
b
: to break to pieces : smash 2 : to do away with : put an end to
demolisher noun
demolishment noun

More from Merriam-Webster on demolish

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