as in wrecking
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1
as in destroying
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 ruining
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 shattering
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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Recent Examples of demolishing
Matthew Glowicki, The Courier-Journal, 28 Aug. 2025
India Roby, Architectural Digest, 8 Apr. 2026
The Michigan basketball team is headed to the NCAA national championship game Monday night after demolishing Arizona 93-71 in the Final Four on Saturday in Indianapolis.
—Brian Manzullo, Freep.com, 5 Apr. 2026
Plans call for demolishing the three-story former office building on the site and constructing a single-story, 30-foot-tall building containing approximately 26,000 square feet of event space, according to information shared by the village.
—Jennifer Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
The city’s long-term plan calls for demolishing the existing facility and replacing it with a new permanent building.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2026
But the grumblings about demolishing the library building have lately become a roaring debate.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
Israel’s defense minister said the military would accelerate demolishing homes along the southern Lebanese border and destroy all bridges over the Litani River.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 23 Mar. 2026
The 39-year-old photographer from Beirut captured a stunning sequence of images in the early hours of Wednesday, showing an IDF missile demolishing a tower block in one fell swoop.
—Raf Sanchez, NBC news, 19 Mar. 2026
The emails contain no detailed exchanges about arena negotiations, no plans tying a new venue to the City Hall site and no evidence of internal talks about demolishing the building for that purpose.
—Dallas Morning News, 18 Mar. 2026
Noun
In the filing, Omni Hotels outlined a five-year timeframe that would get the site fully designed, permitted and prepared for construction, noting construction would not start until at least five years after the demolishing of the buildings on site.
—Matthew Glowicki, The Courier-Journal, 28 Aug. 2025
Verb
The musician and fashion mogul began the process of demolishing the architectural gem, completely stripping its electricity, plumbing, bathrooms, and windows.
—India Roby, Architectural Digest, 8 Apr. 2026
The Michigan basketball team is headed to the NCAA national championship game Monday night after demolishing Arizona 93-71 in the Final Four on Saturday in Indianapolis.
—Brian Manzullo, Freep.com, 5 Apr. 2026
Plans call for demolishing the three-story former office building on the site and constructing a single-story, 30-foot-tall building containing approximately 26,000 square feet of event space, according to information shared by the village.
—Jennifer Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
The city’s long-term plan calls for demolishing the existing facility and replacing it with a new permanent building.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2026
But the grumblings about demolishing the library building have lately become a roaring debate.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
Israel’s defense minister said the military would accelerate demolishing homes along the southern Lebanese border and destroy all bridges over the Litani River.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 23 Mar. 2026
The 39-year-old photographer from Beirut captured a stunning sequence of images in the early hours of Wednesday, showing an IDF missile demolishing a tower block in one fell swoop.
—Raf Sanchez, NBC news, 19 Mar. 2026
The emails contain no detailed exchanges about arena negotiations, no plans tying a new venue to the City Hall site and no evidence of internal talks about demolishing the building for that purpose.
—Dallas Morning News, 18 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demolishing
Noun
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At least, there was a lot less wrecking.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
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The Ravens haven’t really had that game-wrecking pass rusher since Terrell Suggs was in his prime.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Hamas’ charter calls for destroying Israel.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
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When season five begins, Ed is a leader in the separatist group the Sons and Daughters of Mars, a former agent of the ruling order now intent on destroying it.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Monday’s game offered yet another example of how the team that supposedly is ruining baseball is fattening the wallets of the league’s other 29 teams.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
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Your couch has a fabric cleaning code — usually printed on a tag tucked under the cushions — and ignoring it can mean ruining the upholstery.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Trump has gone far toward shattering what’s left of America’s global stature.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
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The auction comes just weeks after David Gilmour’s Black Fender Stratocaster sold for a record-shattering $14,550,000.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The fighting has carved a path of destruction from agricultural towns near the border to Beirut, killing more than 2,000 people and displacing in excess of 1 million others, according to Lebanese authorities.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
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Washington wanted to test if the Iranian command, after seeing the destruction from six weeks of war and the killing of its Supreme Leader, would now bend to its will, experts said.—
Saeed Shah,
Time,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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At the core of the MAGA project and Trumpism is disruption and destruction, the delegitimization and razing of institutions, and the brutalization of opponents.—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
23 Mar. 2026
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Instead of razing buildings, Robinson wants to repurpose buildings that were significant to the Black community, including Theodore Roosevelt High School.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In footage shared by the BBC on X, Medvedev, who suffered a 6-0 6-0 loss during the 49-minute match, was filmed smashing up his tennis racket six times and angrily tossing it across the court.—
Gina Kalsi,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
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At the nearly 17-mile-long circular particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) that sits deep below the French Alps, CERN scientists recreated the quark-gluon plasma by smashing together atomic nuclei of iron at near-light speed.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Videos captured the scene, which included people blowing whistles and horns, and neighbors screaming at more than a dozen gun-toting agents to leave Thao's family alone.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
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Videos captured the scene, which included people blowing whistles and horns, and neighbors screaming at more than a dozen gun-toting agents to leave Thao’s family alone.—
Mark Vancleave,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demolishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demolishing. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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