1
as in to destroy
to destroy (as a building) completely by knocking down or breaking to pieces
developers demolished the old warehouse to make room for the new shopping mall
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to ruin
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
most of the buildings in the town had been demolished in the bombing raid
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to shatter
to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive
terrorists used a powerful pipe bomb to demolish the concrete wall around the compound
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of demolish
Most recently, crews began demolishing the East Wing of the White House.
—
Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Although Sean Lennon did dispute an ending where the Greenwich flat is demolished.
—Whitney Friedlander, Variety, 5 Nov. 2025
The funds would be used to demolish nine buildings, construct four new schools and expand others.
—Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 4 Nov. 2025
Former houses were demolished and repurposed into quarries, graveyards and workshops.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Although Sean Lennon did dispute an ending where the Greenwich flat is demolished.
—Whitney Friedlander, Variety, 5 Nov. 2025
The funds would be used to demolish nine buildings, construct four new schools and expand others.
—Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 4 Nov. 2025
Former houses were demolished and repurposed into quarries, graveyards and workshops.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demolish
Verb
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Just under two million Palestinians—virtually the entire population of Gaza—have been displaced since October 2023, many repeatedly, and Israeli forces have damaged or destroyed more than 90 percent of homes in the Strip.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
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Teddy is a conspiracy theorist who believes Michelle is an alien hellbent on destroying Earth.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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That’s why his mistress threw in with Frank to intimidate Dale into a land deal that would have ruined any chance of Chutto’s family ever getting their land back.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
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Because when those premiums go up by 100, 200%, people’s lives are ruined.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Mamdani’s victory places him at the forefront of a global cohort of diaspora leaders who have shattered political ceilings in recent years.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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At Tesla’s annual meeting on Thursday, shareholders voted in favor of giving CEO Musk a gargantuan, record-shattering pay package that could give him stock worth $1 trillion after several years.—
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The 2023 edition opened a month later as Israel intensified its bombing campaign on Gaza, which has since killed more than 67,000 people, injured another 170,000 and razed the Palestinian territory to the ground, prompting accusations of genocide, which Israel has strongly rejected.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
30 Oct. 2025
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The Greeks raze the city, slaughter many of its inhabitants, and enslave those who survive.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Last year’s devastating drought in the Amazon Basin was made 30 times more likely by climate change, according to a report from World Weather Attribution, a network of scientists that analyze extreme weather events.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
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Earlier this year, California’s devastating Eaton Fire destroyed much of Altadena, a diverse, creative community just north of Pasadena.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In the village of Hula in southern Lebanon, a monument engraved with the names of almost 100 Lebanese killed here in 1948 just after the creation of the state of Israel lies covered in graffiti and smashed to pieces.—
Jane Arraf,
NPR,
3 Nov. 2025
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Helm smashes some trees and things.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Storm preparations Cuba has been struck almost yearly by a major hurricane in recent years, sometimes twice, wrecking the country’s already decrepit infrastructure, damaging crops and destroying thousands of homes in precarious condition.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
27 Oct. 2025
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In 1816 the stratosphere was saturated with Tambora’s dust, and sea ice nearly wrecked Scoresby’s ship off the eastern coast of Greenland.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The crowd at the Rogers Centre nearly blew the roof off the place as Bichette jogged around the bases.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
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That team pulled off this same trick, blowing the doors off all comers until slipping past USC.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Demolish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demolish. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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