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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of demolish
And several properties in Steele Creek near Charlotte Douglas International Airport have been demolished for airport expansion.
—
Desiree Mathurin,
Charlotte Observer,
27 June 2026
Nationally, many facilities of that time have since been demolished as housing policies evolved, but New Britain’s housing authority kept the roughly 250-unit Mount Pleasant and now operates it as its oldest property.
—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
26 June 2026
Yes, Canada demolished a lowly Qatar side.
—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
25 June 2026
During that 25-day closure, PennDOT crews will be demolishing the existing Commercial Street Bridge and sliding in the new bridge, which has been constructed alongside the Parkway East outside of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel.
—
Mike Darnay,
CBS News,
24 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Desiree Mathurin,
Charlotte Observer,
27 June 2026
Nationally, many facilities of that time have since been demolished as housing policies evolved, but New Britain’s housing authority kept the roughly 250-unit Mount Pleasant and now operates it as its oldest property.
—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
26 June 2026
Yes, Canada demolished a lowly Qatar side.
—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
25 June 2026
During that 25-day closure, PennDOT crews will be demolishing the existing Commercial Street Bridge and sliding in the new bridge, which has been constructed alongside the Parkway East outside of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel.
—
Mike Darnay,
CBS News,
24 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demolish
Verb
-
National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, the brother of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, said on Sunday that more than 12,000 people have been displaced by the earthquakes and 774 buildings have been damaged or destroyed, including hospitals.
-
There's nothing more quintessential to being a kid than playing Little League baseball, but on July Fourth, 2025, along with so much more, the Little League fields of Hill Country were destroyed, along with the innocence of thousands of kids who live here.
Verb
-
However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.
-
After all, plenty of cocktail enthusiasts already complain about mosquitoes ruining a summer evening.
Verb
-
Seconds later, a powerful explosion blasted through the doorway, shattering windows and sending vertical blinds and debris flying as firefighters quickly retreated from the building.
-
Republican Rick Jackson shattered spending records in Georgia by spending $108 million of his own money into his campaign for governor.
Verb
-
Two years ago, Delva was forced to flee his neighborhood of Solino after gangs stormed in and razed much of it to the ground.
-
Foreign aid has been a clear focus; after USAID was razed last year, Vought was made acting administrator and tasked with overseeing the closeout of the agency.
Verb
-
The project has sparked outrage because of the location’s pristine nature and unique habitat that would be irreversibly devastated, according to environmentalists.
-
BangkokReuters — The family of a 17-year-old Thai girl whose body was found in a suitcase in Pattaya said they were devastated by her death, for which an Australian man has been arrested and charged with murder.
Verb
-
Powell is accused of smashing the mug over the victim's head.
-
The van’s windows were smashed and a lone orange traffic cone sat on the hood.
Verb
-
My polishing pads are always getting wrecked, used, or stolen by my dog (or all of those things).
-
As many little heartbeats as possible, just running around, wrecking stuff in the house.
Verb
-
Finally, during penalties, Paraguay was up 3-2 and needed to make only one more kick before missing its last two, nearly blowing the match.
-
The sobering reality, however, is that this is a 35-48 team that already has been blown too far off course.
Cite this Entry
“Demolish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demolish. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
