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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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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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
After filing the first lawsuit, attorney Katie Steele of Varghese Summersett also sought a temporary restraining order to prevent the owners from removing or destroying tenants’ property from the units, or demolishing the building, and to preserve critical evidence in the case.
—
Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Sep. 2025
Finally, after 20 years of struggle, protests, court battles and even picketing the home of Warren Buffett, whose company had assumed ownership of the dams, an agreement was reached to demolish the dams.
—Debra Utacia Krol, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2025
The plan is to demolish the building and bring back a replica of the space.
—Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2025
The area is being demolished until November and should be built by early next year, well before the law to use the firing squad takes effect, Lopez said.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Sep. 2025
Finally, after 20 years of struggle, protests, court battles and even picketing the home of Warren Buffett, whose company had assumed ownership of the dams, an agreement was reached to demolish the dams.
—Debra Utacia Krol, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2025
The plan is to demolish the building and bring back a replica of the space.
—Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2025
The area is being demolished until November and should be built by early next year, well before the law to use the firing squad takes effect, Lopez said.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demolish
Verb
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Acosta allowed it, and IMG destroyed them.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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Later, Howard calls Matt and agrees to cut the sequence but also threatens to destroy him.—
Carson Blackwelder,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
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Our family has been ruined by Denise's lies of promising to end a year-long affair.—
Stephanie Wenger,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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His staff acknowledged congratulatory comments on social media and posted photos of an encounter with someone whose car window was shattered after refusing to open it.—
Elliot Spagat,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
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Jorma Taccone, one part of the comedy trio The Lonely Island, was hospitalized after shattering his pelvis upon falling 20 feet off a ladder at his home.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Residents of Sousi Tower, a prominent 15-story building, told The Associated Press that the Israeli army gave them around 20 minutes to grab their belongings and flee before warplanes razed the building.—
WAFAA SHURAFA,
Arkansas Online,
7 Sep. 2025
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The developer went on to raze DeLuise’s outdated 1950s house and replace it with the modern mansion now on the market.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Deadly floods in Asia have devastated crops, crippling already fragile food production.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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The glossy marketing doesn't include a footnote about trust funds, family support or the ability to absorb year-over-year losses that would devastate most working families.—
Elle Wang,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Shoplifting became a political lighting rod, and videos of thieves smashing store windows and grabbing merchandise rocketed across the news and social media as a symbol of a breakdown across cities.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
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The forward smashed a strike across the goalkeeper and into the top corner, before wheeling away in emotional celebration.—
Joseph O'Sullivan,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Jerry Jeudy makes far too much money to wreck possessions with two drops, one that killed a drive and another that resulted in a crushing interception.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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The sophomore, who is the youngest player ever voted captain under coach Jay Norvell, was a one-man wrecking crew against the Huskies with a game-high 13 tackles.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Cleveland Browns blew both a golden opportunity at what would’ve been the surprise upset of Week 1 and a chance to add to the Cincinnati Bengals’ early-season misery of the past few years.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Demolish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demolish. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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