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

Others are rethinking lids in their own ways, like Dometic’s modular Drinkware system, but if that three-second teardown holds up to daily use, memobottle may have found a useful way to stand out in a very crowded market. — New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2026

Bob Chesney inherited a teardown from DeShaun Foster at UCLA and has turned it into a Malibu Mansion. — Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026

Verb

Whether the commenter ever followed through on the challenge is still unclear, but SZA had something to say to people who think tearing down someone else’s artwork is worth a lot of their time. — Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2026

At the time, LeVota said the plan could involve tearing down one or both stadiums. — Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 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