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
The findings will be discussed during the City Council’s Finance Committee meeting on Monday and are expected to play a key role in the council’s eventual decision on whether to save, sell or demolish the city government’s headquarters.
—
Everton Bailey Jr, Dallas Morning News, 19 Feb. 2026
After both Portal Bridge tracks are transferred to the Portal North span this year, the older bridge will be demolished — a task expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 19 Feb. 2026
The property dates back to 1662, but the original farmhouse was demolished and rebuilt in 1830 as a grand 30-room Georgian-style estate.
—Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 19 Feb. 2026
The ballroom will be located at the site of the East Wing, which was suddenly demolished in October, drawing the ire of the general public, preservationists, and former first ladies Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Everton Bailey Jr, Dallas Morning News, 19 Feb. 2026
After both Portal Bridge tracks are transferred to the Portal North span this year, the older bridge will be demolished — a task expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 19 Feb. 2026
The property dates back to 1662, but the original farmhouse was demolished and rebuilt in 1830 as a grand 30-room Georgian-style estate.
—Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 19 Feb. 2026
The ballroom will be located at the site of the East Wing, which was suddenly demolished in October, drawing the ire of the general public, preservationists, and former first ladies Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demolish
Verb
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Shipwreck hunters have been searching the lakes with more urgency in recent years out of concerns that invasive quagga mussels are slowly destroying wrecks.—
Todd Richmond,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
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However, archaeologists faced a significant challenge—how to penetrate its secrets without destroying it in the process?—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That was what Ilia Malinin endured on Friday night, when his disastrous free skate ruined his chances for gold.—
Dave Skretta,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
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Steam cleaning is an effective way to sanitize and refresh your mattress, but the wrong technique can end up ruining the fabric.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Jamerson’s dreams of a solid return to a school that snubbed him were shattered.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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Officer Nik Anderson was struck in the arm, shattering his humerus bone.—
Claire Osborn,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Polo Grounds also counted as part of Brush’s legacy, at least until the stadium was razed to make way for a public housing complex.—
Libby Cierzniak,
IndyStar,
20 Feb. 2026
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That was the first step of what Puerto Rico hopes will be a rebirth of a Winter Olympics program that had been razed to the ground.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Los Angeles County district attorney is investigating whether Southern California Edison should be criminally prosecuted for its actions in last year’s devastating Eaton wildfire, which killed 19 people and left thousands of families homeless, the company said Wednesday.—
Melody Petersen,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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Tanimoto’s father, who grew up in Hiroshima — the Japanese city later devastated by the first atomic bomb — immigrated to Hawaii before raising his family in Northern California and had recently retired from farming.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Intriguingly, the lunar surface is littered with craters that record the chaotic early days of the solar system when planets and asteroids were smashing into one another.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
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The streamer has smashed streaming records for the Winter Olympics and contributed several million viewers to the Super Bowl audience.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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From tiny insects like flies and butterflies at the edge of the frame, to large mountains, clouds full of rain, even great wrecking machines — everything is animated with precision and beauty.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
18 Feb. 2026
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The 1992 play was produced for the Paradise Factory theater in Greenwich Village, which credits Noonan for opening the space where an ice cream shop and hat factory operated before a fire wrecked the building.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Negotiators from the seven states along the Colorado River blew past yet another federal deadline over the weekend without reaching a compromise on how to share its water — even as this winter’s dismal snowpack could spell immediate disaster for the river system.—
Elise Schmelzer,
Denver Post,
17 Feb. 2026
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Snow flurries are blowing at an angle, the sky is a leaden grey, and visibility is poor.—
Vivian Song,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demolish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demolish. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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