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
• smash
• overcome
• pull down
• 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

The Memphis Grizzlies, who traded their top player and tried to deal their other star in a midseason teardown, will pick third. —Mike Vorkunov, New York Times, 11 May 2026

But the teardown to accommodate the World Cup will be an achievement on a grand scale. —Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026

Verb

That project, a joint partnership with Hallmark, calls for the company’s headquarters to be torn down. —Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 12 May 2026

Crews started tearing down what's left of the building Saturday. —Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 12 May 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