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
Allowed to crumble into disrepair by its owners, the Meruelo family, the famous hotel was ordered demolished by the city as a hazardous structure.
—
Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2025
The building was later demolished and turned into a memorial for the victims, featuring 199 points of light.
—Isadora Wandermurem, Time, 23 Apr. 2025
Archaeologists were astonished to uncover hundreds of skeletons while excavating the grounds of a university, which once hosted a medieval church demolished in the 1650s.
—Fox News Staff, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2025
Villa, who Palace beat 4-1 in February, have won five league games in a row since and demolished Newcastle 4-1 hours after Palace’s draw.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2025
The building was later demolished and turned into a memorial for the victims, featuring 199 points of light.
—Isadora Wandermurem, Time, 23 Apr. 2025
Archaeologists were astonished to uncover hundreds of skeletons while excavating the grounds of a university, which once hosted a medieval church demolished in the 1650s.
—Fox News Staff, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2025
Villa, who Palace beat 4-1 in February, have won five league games in a row since and demolished Newcastle 4-1 hours after Palace’s draw.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demolish
Verb
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More than half a dozen tornadoes have been confirmed, including one in Marshall County, Oklahoma, that left two homes completely destroyed and damaged about 20 others.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2025
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In Hood County, the Granbury Volunteer Fire Department reported that a home southwest of Tolar was destroyed by a tornado and several others were damaged about 9 p.m. Possible tornadoes also were reported in Jack County and Erath County, according to the National Weather Service.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
27 Apr. 2025
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There is nothing that can ruin trying to sleep through a redeye like the sunrise hitting your face.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Public trust has been shattered, and a change was needed so the system can begin to rebuild.—
Kaitlin McCallum,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2025
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Tobias is shattered by the negative response, but Gabin’s aggression doesn’t do anything to pull Tobias together.—
Oliver Sava,
Vulture,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
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As of 2023, the houses had been razed but nothing had been built on the land.—
Mackenzie Farkus,
Christian Science Monitor,
23 Apr. 2025
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The earth has been razed bare as a result of deforestation, which has also weakened the soil layers that were washed away during the rainy season.—
Gwendolina Duval,
Vogue,
22 Apr. 2025
Verb
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At first, Tyrion's owner was devastated with her dog's diagnosis.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
20 Apr. 2025
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The loss has brought yet another heartbreak for the Townsend family, stemming from the mass shooting that devastated this suburban Denver community 26 years ago.—
Nicquel Terry Ellis,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The Red Sox first baseman smashed his second three-run homer in two nights in an 8-5 loss to the Seattle Mariners.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2025
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In the past half decade, whole strata of this intricate New York support system have been smashed.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The cops also seized his cellphone and tore apart his home of two years, wrecking his recording setup in the process.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
26 Apr. 2025
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As many little heartbeats as possible, just running around, wrecking stuff in the house.—
Kayla Grant,
People.com,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
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However, the impending free agent had an 11.25 ERA, two losses and one blown save over 10 games entering Monday.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2025
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Vindman and his twin brother, Alex, both blew the whistle on Trump’s attempt to withhold military aid to Ukraine while pressuring the country’s leader to investigate the family of President Joe Biden.—
Andy Kroll,
ProPublica,
28 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Demolish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demolish. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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