tear down

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 tear down

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

Examples of tear down in a Sentence

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

Demolition crews were busy on Tuesday tearing down the cafe at its base, and there are serious questions about whether the pier itself can be saved. —John Ramos, CBS News, 10 June 2026

The historic bandstand that caught fire in Denver’s City Park in March is not salvageable and will need to be torn down, according to Mayor Mike Johnston and Denver Parks & Recreation. —John Wenzel, Denver Post, 8 June 2026

Construction crews began tearing down the East Wing in October to make way for the 90,000-square-foot facility. —Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026

Protesters tore down and disabled enforcement cameras and painted the policy as a civil liberties issue. —Justin Worland, Time, 3 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for tear down

• 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