Synonyms of demolishing

demolishing 1 of 2

noun

as in wrecking

Related Words

• wrecking
• destruction
• desecration
• ravaging
• demolishment
• ravage
• trashing
• ruination
• desecrating
• vandalism
• ruin
• defacement
• defacing
• sabotage
• vandalization
• looting
• plundering
• pillaging
• marauding
• despoiling
• pillage
• ransacking
• spoliation
• plunder
• predation
• depredation
• sacking
• despoilment

Dissimilar Words

• saving
• protection
• preservation
• conservation
• salvage

demolishing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of demolish

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• destroying
• razing
• smashing
• wrecking
• ruining
• unbuilding
• tearing down
• dynamiting
• finishing
• leveling
• pulling down
• overturning
• flattening
• obliterating
• ravaging
• eradicating
• abolishing
• decimating
• wasting
• pulverizing
• annihilating
• devastating
• extirpating
• devouring
• crushing
• dissolving
• wiping out
• totaling
• blowing up
• unmaking
• dashing
• cracking up
• doing in
• scourging

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• building
• constructing
• erecting
• raising
• restoring
• rebuilding
• creating
• renewing
• making
• forming
• putting up
• shaping
• manufacturing
• renovating
• forging
• fashioning
• fabricating

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• destroying
• ruining
• wrecking
• shattering
• smashing
• devastating
• overcoming
• damaging
• razing
• wasting
• annihilating
• extinguishing
• pulverizing
• decimating
• eroding
• vaporizing
• dismantling
• ravaging
• marring
• totaling
• killing
• defeating
• crushing
• creaming
• removing
• nuking
• blasting
• crippling
• tearing down
• pulling down
• wracking
• breaking
• injuring
• doing in
• subduing
• conquering
• desolating
• disintegrating
• mutilating
• trimming
• licking
• dissolving
• deteriorating
• rubbing out
• dynamiting
• impairing
• spoiling
• harming
• clobbering
• mastering
• eradicating
• defacing
• obliterating
• surmounting
• whipping
• prevailing (over)
• gutting
• mangling
• routing
• disfiguring
• thrashing
• disassembling
• winning (against)
• besting
• beating
• scouring
• slaughtering
• walloping
• undoing
• exterminating
• wearing (away)
• expunging
• vandalizing
• liquidating
• murdering
• triumphing (over)
• plundering
• assassinating
• trouncing
• vitiating
• extirpating
• sweeping (away)
• sacking
• executing
• trashing
• looting
• effacing
• pillaging
• overmatching
• despoiling
• trampling
• scotching
• blowing up
• massacring
• washing out
• unbuilding
• wiping out
• slaying
• dispatching
• dilapidating
• taking down
• overbearing
• drubbing
• butchering
• stamping (out)
• cutting down
• unmaking
• zapping
• blotting out
• rooting (out)
• felling
• killing off
• skunking
• taking out
• mowing (down)
• snuffing (out)
• havocking

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• building
• constructing
• erecting
• repairing
• raising
• creating
• fixing
• rearing
• setting up
• making
• producing
• forming
• putting up
• inventing
• establishing
• assembling
• shaping
• manufacturing
• organizing
• revamping
• fashioning
• forging
• framing
• protecting
• preserving
• fabricating
• molding
• constituting
• patching
• reconditioning
• instituting
• saving
• mending
• rebuilding
• restoring
• conserving
• doctoring
• founding
• reconstructing
• bringing about
• remodeling
• renovating
• fathering

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shattering
• smashing
• destroying
• blowing
• blasting
• exploding
• bursting
• popping
• detonating
• wrecking
• blowing up
• dynamiting
• ruining
• annihilating
• decimating
• fragmenting
• discharging
• splintering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• collapsing
• imploding

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of demolishing

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

One drone operator talks about going out for lunch or hanging out with their friends in Tel Aviv after demolishing people’s houses in Gaza from miles away. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026

At Cordova Villa Elementary, construction includes demolishing the existing administration building and a classroom building. — Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2026

By 2022, the former mill was in disrepair, leading the city to purchase the property with the intention of demolishing it. — Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026

Mansfield Timberview signaled state-title ambitions by demolishing West Mesquite 69-7, while White Settlement Brewer knocked off Class 6A Haltom 31-14 to open Class 5A play. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Aug. 2026

While members of the public and the architectural community have criticized the Rike Tubes for altering the character of Tbilisi’s historic old town, some favored relocating them to a more suitable setting rather than demolishing them. — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 27 Aug. 2026

The final phase would involve demolishing some parts of the building. — Alec Johnson, jsonline.com, 25 Aug. 2026

As community members organized marches and protests, Abdeen helped bring a class-action lawsuit against the city, arguing that demolishing the neighborhood would violate residents’ civil rights. — Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026

Trump has faced widespread criticism for demolishing the East Wing of the White House to make room for the grand ballroom design. — Callum Sutherland, Time, 11 Aug. 2026