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
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of demolish
Thunder set playoff record in demolition of Nuggets The Oklahoma City Thunder demolished the Denver Nuggets 149-106 on Wednesday to level the series at 1-1.
—
Matias Grez, CNN Money, 8 May 2025
The attack demolished a mosque and adjacent administration building and buried three people in the rubble.
—Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam, USA Today, 8 May 2025
The destruction comes as Israeli forces are set to demolish over 100 homes across two northern refugee camps in the West Bank.
—Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2025
The entire crypto enforcement program at the SEC has been absolutely demolished.
—ABC News, 4 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Matias Grez, CNN Money, 8 May 2025
The attack demolished a mosque and adjacent administration building and buried three people in the rubble.
—Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam, USA Today, 8 May 2025
The destruction comes as Israeli forces are set to demolish over 100 homes across two northern refugee camps in the West Bank.
—Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2025
The entire crypto enforcement program at the SEC has been absolutely demolished.
—ABC News, 4 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demolish
Verb
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An embarrassing, humbling, shocking Game 5 defeat showed that. All the same problems, the ones that destroyed Leaf team after Leaf team and ultimately ended Sheldon Keefe’s time as head coach, are emerging again at the worst possible time.—
Jonas Siegel,
New York Times,
15 May 2025
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At least 144 structures were destroyed and parts of Highway 44 were shut down, said St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
Verb
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Daniella Segura,
Sacbee.com,
9 May 2025
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Sonos is very, very sorry for ruining your speaker system.—
Boone Ashworth,
Wired News,
9 May 2025
Verb
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Israel resumed its bombardment in Gaza on March 18, shattering a two-month ceasefire with Hamas.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Chicago Tribune,
10 May 2025
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O’Brien ranks 22nd in NCAA history in career caused turnovers with 160, which shatters Lacey Leigh Hentz’s previous school record of 146.—
Edward Lee,
Baltimore Sun,
10 May 2025
Verb
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State Farm requested the emergency rate increase in February, the month after fires ripped through the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods of Los Angeles, razing over 16,000 homes and structures.—
Rukmini Callimachi,
New York Times,
14 May 2025
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The buildings are in danger of being razed by the Port of Los Angeles, and the hope is that the visibility afforded by the list will help preservation efforts.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2025
Verb
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Beyond the immediate dead, the refugees, destroyed agriculture, loss of economic capacity, all would utterly devastate China.—
Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
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Independent cinema—arguably the heart of artistic risk and innovation, would be devastated.—
Matt Robison,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 May 2025
Verb
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The crash came a little over a year after the Dali, a 984-foot-long cargo ship, lost power while departing Baltimore’s harbor and smashed into the Key Bridge, killing six people and destroying critical infrastructure.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
19 May 2025
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During a Freshman All-American season at Sac State in 2023, Smith smashed 14 home runs and nine doubles to go with 45 RBIs.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
18 May 2025
Verb
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That predecessor was wrecked May 9, 1980, when a freighter, lost in the vicious storm, broadsided the southbound span of the twin bridge and knocked down a 1,260-foot section of roadway.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
8 May 2025
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However, according to the World Bank, the economy was already the best before Trump’s economic policies wrecked it.—
Tom Zirpoli,
Baltimore Sun,
6 May 2025
Verb
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In addition, strong winds over desert areas could result in briefly lowered visibilities to well under a mile at times in blowing dust or blowing sand.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
11 May 2025
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Those cops do more than blow whistles and bark signals.—
Paul Solotaroff,
Rolling Stone,
11 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Demolish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demolish. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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