1
as in to demolish
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
an entire city block razed by a terrible fire
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to destroy
to destroy (as a building) completely by knocking down or breaking to pieces
the developer razed the old school building and built a high-rise condominium complex
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of raze
Israel is razing and looting homes and has vowed to prevent hundreds of thousands of residents, predominantly Shiites, though also members of other religious communities, from returning.
—
Rania Abouzeid, New Yorker, 21 May 2026
And what a voice — what an instrument of razing and of raising.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 20 May 2026
But before that could happen, it was razed to the ground.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 20 May 2026
Dahlia, a disillusioned police aide, breaks into the mansion of the corrupt police chief Bernal and steals the money from his safe, unloading the funds to slum dwellers whose settlement Bernal razed down.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for raze
Rania Abouzeid, New Yorker, 21 May 2026
And what a voice — what an instrument of razing and of raising.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 20 May 2026
But before that could happen, it was razed to the ground.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 20 May 2026
Dahlia, a disillusioned police aide, breaks into the mansion of the corrupt police chief Bernal and steals the money from his safe, unloading the funds to slum dwellers whose settlement Bernal razed down.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for raze
Recent Examples of Synonyms for raze
Verb
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Two other properties were purchased in 2024, one of which was a barbershop that was demolished, and a third property was purchased in 2025.—
Delia Rose Sauer,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2026
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Before filing plans to demolish the building within the next two weeks, Kennedy planned Thursday night’s event to honor the structure.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Fueled by large stocks of critically dry vegetation and extreme winds, the fires killed 31 people, destroyed nearly 12,000 homes, and forced over 150,000 evacuations.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
31 May 2026
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But satellite images reviewed by CNN show how Iran has used simple equipment such as bulldozers and dump trucks to counter those costly campaigns — suggesting that Tehran’s missile capabilities can’t be destroyed just by targeting tunnel entrances, experts said.—
Tamara Qiblawi,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Our house, ruined by the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake, was rebuilt from the foundation up.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
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Undefeated this season on clay, the 15th-seeded Ukrainian player reached the quarterfinals at the French Open for the first time on Sunday by taking out four-time champion Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 and ruining her birthday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Horvath has faced issues in her district, which includes county areas devastated by the Palisades fire.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
4 June 2026
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In the case of Tom Brandis, played by the singular Mark Ruffalo, a tragedy (matricide) has devastated his family unit.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
2 June 2026
Verb
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Over the prairie there would be lightning that evening, dropping in shattering bolts from swollen purple clouds.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
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Standard polystyrene shattered or punctured easily under the stress.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
3 June 2026
Verb
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The kind of game-wrecking force that the Rams enjoyed playing behind during Aaron Donald’s tenure, and one the defense has missed since Donald’s retirement prior to the 2024 season.—
Adam Grosbard,
Oc Register,
2 June 2026
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These two didn't get along great for a long period after Kyle wrecked Junior at Richmond.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
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The men would brandish firearms and smash car windows before demanding that the victim hand over the money.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2026
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Every day, there are news reports of hundreds of people rioting in cities across our country — windows being smashed, merchandise stolen, police vehicles damaged and people being attacked and injured.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Raze.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/raze. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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