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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of raze
Heavy equipment has been razing the multi-level concrete parking garage at 99 Founders Plaza for the past several weeks, and then will tear down the 150,000-square-foot former Bank of America offices.
—
Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
The units were razed in 1972 to make way for a Days Inn.
—Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Jan. 2026
Orange County will pay $33 million to resolve hundreds of claims related to the Airport fire, the destructive 2024 blaze sparked by its public works crew that burned for 26 days and razed homes and structures between two counties.
—Claire Wang, Oc Register, 28 Jan. 2026
Rather than raze the city days before it was recovered by the Allied forces, Choltitz went rogue, negotiated a truce, and surrendered the city.
—Sally Susman, Time, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for raze
Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
The units were razed in 1972 to make way for a Days Inn.
—Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Jan. 2026
Orange County will pay $33 million to resolve hundreds of claims related to the Airport fire, the destructive 2024 blaze sparked by its public works crew that burned for 26 days and razed homes and structures between two counties.
—Claire Wang, Oc Register, 28 Jan. 2026
Rather than raze the city days before it was recovered by the Allied forces, Choltitz went rogue, negotiated a truce, and surrendered the city.
—Sally Susman, Time, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for raze
Recent Examples of Synonyms for raze
Verb
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After the city of New York demolished the Polo Grounds in 1964, a crumbling concrete staircase stood forgotten as the last remaining vestige of the legendary stadium.—
Libby Cierzniak,
IndyStar,
20 Feb. 2026
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With his daughter, Lupel also tutored youngsters from the Cabrini-Green housing project before it was demolished.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Gizmodo continues that the results of the CT scans astonished researchers because her right TMJ, near the ear, had been destroyed.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Feb. 2026
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Half a million acres burned, destroying $300 million in timber and at least 150 homes and other structures.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Top awards executive Lisa Taback had her luggage ruined as well.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
22 Feb. 2026
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That’s when my Samsonite Paralux Carry-on ruined me for all other take-aboard luggage.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Los Angeles County district attorney is investigating whether Southern California Edison should be criminally prosecuted for its actions in last year’s devastating Eaton wildfire, which killed 19 people and left thousands of families homeless, the company said Wednesday.—
Melody Petersen,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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Tanimoto’s father, who grew up in Hiroshima — the Japanese city later devastated by the first atomic bomb — immigrated to Hawaii before raising his family in Northern California and had recently retired from farming.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Jamerson’s dreams of a solid return to a school that snubbed him were shattered.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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Officer Nik Anderson was struck in the arm, shattering his humerus bone.—
Claire Osborn,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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From tiny insects like flies and butterflies at the edge of the frame, to large mountains, clouds full of rain, even great wrecking machines — everything is animated with precision and beauty.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
18 Feb. 2026
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The 1992 play was produced for the Paradise Factory theater in Greenwich Village, which credits Noonan for opening the space where an ice cream shop and hat factory operated before a fire wrecked the building.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Intriguingly, the lunar surface is littered with craters that record the chaotic early days of the solar system when planets and asteroids were smashing into one another.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
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The streamer has smashed streaming records for the Winter Olympics and contributed several million viewers to the Super Bowl audience.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Raze.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/raze. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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