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
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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
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of demolish
Nashville demolished Minnesota 5-0 in a Leagues Cup quarterfinal in 2023.
—
Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2026
The recognition prevents the home from being demolished or renovated except in special circumstances.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2026
Preservationists say the building remains a civic landmark and should be repaired rather than demolished.
—Devyani Chhetri, Dallas Morning News, 5 Mar. 2026
Trump had the East Wing demolished in October.
—Darlene Superville, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2026
The recognition prevents the home from being demolished or renovated except in special circumstances.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2026
Preservationists say the building remains a civic landmark and should be repaired rather than demolished.
—Devyani Chhetri, Dallas Morning News, 5 Mar. 2026
Trump had the East Wing demolished in October.
—Darlene Superville, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demolish
Verb
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The port has already planted acres of mangroves and sea grass and donated the land to the state of Florida to offset the habitat that would be destroyed during dredging.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Mar. 2026
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The reasons for this cautious response are many, ranging from the precarious diplomatic implications of the conflict, disruptions to its energy security, and the embarrassing implications of allowing an ally to be destroyed.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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People suffer and the country becomes ruined.—
Marc Weingarten,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
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Anti-Chafe Stick With sweaty bodies and lots of walking often comes chafing, something that can ruin a day in a theme park faster than a thunderstorm.—
Terri Peters,
Parents,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The storms shattered windows, tore off roofs and smashed vehicles in Kankakee.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Mar. 2026
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Within 10 minutes, her windows shattered, the front door blew open and drywall started falling on top of her.—
Rebecca Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The building will be razed to make way for new midfield taxiways to support the airport’s forthcoming second concourse, which is scheduled to open in the early 2030s.—
Alex Driggars,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
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That would have involved razing homes in Black neighborhoods.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Tens of thousands of giant sequoia seedlings and saplings are sprouting in a Sierra Nevada grove devastated by the 2021 KNP Complex fire.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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The youngest in a family of famous actors, Carradine had been devastated by the death in 2009 of his half-brother David Carradine in a Bangkok hotel room and never quite recovered, the actor admitted over the years.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Wearing hooded sweatshirts and full-face masks, the robbers ordered employees to one part of the room at gunpoint before two of them smashed the glass display cases with sledgehammers, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.—
Nick Sullivan
March 7,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Mar. 2026
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Rocco-Herrmann/Getty Images After the price of silver smashed through a record $100 per ounce milestone in late January, many investors would be forgiven for expecting the metal to continue its remarkable surge upward largely unimpeded.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Kim Gartner, whose nephew's property was wrecked in storms overnight in Kankakee, described softball-sized hail that shattered car windows.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
11 Mar. 2026
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That last 100 meters is the part that will wreck you.—
Kevin Sintumuang,
Outside,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Wind shear, which occurs when winds blow at different speeds and/or directions with height, acts as an impediment to fledgling tropical storms and hurricanes.—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
10 Mar. 2026
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There's also a short clip of Cyrus onstage as Hannah with a band, blowing a kiss to a crowd as confetti falls around her.—
Mary Pat Thompson,
ABC News,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demolish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demolish. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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