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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So, automation can be used to destroy labor or workers’ power, but it can also be used in the opposite direction.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
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Homes, businesses and synagogues were destroyed.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
11 Nov. 2025
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So, no, women didn’t ruin the workplace.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
11 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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Moermond and several other speakers at a public hearing immediately prior to the vote encouraged the council to order the structure razed and removed, though even some critics of the corporation’s handling of its vacant property worried about adding another empty lot to the neighborhood.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
6 Nov. 2025
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Preservationists worry study could suggest razing the buildings The possible demolition of the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena and Miller High Life Theatre are facing a potential roadblock due to a City Hall decision.—
Tom Daykin,
jsonline.com,
3 Nov. 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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Within a few years of leaving Texas, Rauschenberg had upended everything the place had meant to him, smashing through the parochialism of small-town Southern life, where necks were broken in Jesus’ name, and families indentured or murdered.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
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Mantis shrimps can safely smash open clam shells with their claws.—
Carl Zimmer,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Guardiola’s lads look back to their best in the early months of this season after the extended wobble in the previous one that wrecked their hopes of a fifth straight domestic title.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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Phillips croons about a mother’s bond with her child as Swinton walks off, her character freshly wrecked by a visit with her son in prison.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Straight line winds can blow down trees, power lines, and damage mobile homes and other buildings.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Nov. 2025
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The Buffalo Bills were left stunned in Miami on Sunday afternoon as the Dolphins blew them out 30-13 in a crucial AFC East rivalry game.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Demolish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demolish. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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