1
as in destroying
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 demolishing
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 razing
The earthquake devastated neighboring Kunar province, razing three villages, Reuters reported, citing local authorities.
—
Helen Regan, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
Here was an example of humans’ chopping, razing, paving, crushing ways that have mortally wounded the natural world.
—Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2025
The county’s preliminary plan calls for razing it, except for the portion where the supervisors hold their public meetings.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2025
Eventually the state agreed with residents’ petitions, purchasing and razing hundreds of homes, the property itself becoming part of New York City’s network of parks.
—Elizabeth Rush, The Atlantic, 17 Dec. 2024
The university has spent the last few months razing the old stadium.
—Justin Kaufmann, Axios, 18 Nov. 2024
In 2019, the cottage faced an uncertain future as the new owners of the land at 239 Franklin Road, where it was then located, appeared interested in razing the cottage to make space for new construction.
—Daniel I. Dorfman, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2024
Environmental ministries, for example, will need to put more resources toward stopping cattle ranchers from razing the rainforest, whereas agriculture agencies might have to fund more sea patrols to prevent overfishing.
—Benji Jones, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Helen Regan, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
Here was an example of humans’ chopping, razing, paving, crushing ways that have mortally wounded the natural world.
—Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2025
The county’s preliminary plan calls for razing it, except for the portion where the supervisors hold their public meetings.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2025
Eventually the state agreed with residents’ petitions, purchasing and razing hundreds of homes, the property itself becoming part of New York City’s network of parks.
—Elizabeth Rush, The Atlantic, 17 Dec. 2024
The university has spent the last few months razing the old stadium.
—Justin Kaufmann, Axios, 18 Nov. 2024
In 2019, the cottage faced an uncertain future as the new owners of the land at 239 Franklin Road, where it was then located, appeared interested in razing the cottage to make space for new construction.
—Daniel I. Dorfman, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2024
Environmental ministries, for example, will need to put more resources toward stopping cattle ranchers from razing the rainforest, whereas agriculture agencies might have to fund more sea patrols to prevent overfishing.
—Benji Jones, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for razing
Verb
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Since then, the Internet has gone about its immemorial business of destroying all incumbent forms of media; not content with vampirizing print, the digital space began sucking the life from pay-TV a dozen years ago.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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Critics say returning the company without meaningful payment undercuts accountability and the compensatory purpose of the judgments; others note trustees and Judge Lopez have to avoid value-destroying, prolonged processes.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Tens of thousands have been fleeing the city, which has seen Israel demolishing high-rise buildings.—
Caitlin Danaher,
CNN Money,
20 Sep. 2025
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Preservationists stepped in to keep the company from its standard practice of demolishing a vacant building.—
Cheryl V. Jackson,
IndyStar,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Doing so could compromise the slight taper at the hem, ruining the silhouette.—
Shea Simmons,
PEOPLE,
22 Sep. 2025
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Car designers love them for not ruining the lines of the door with the necessities of real life, but is the benefit from drag reduction worth the safety risk?—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Adam Berry/Getty Images What To Know Phoenix police said in a release to media that a 19-year-old was detained after wrecking a memorial for Kirk at the office of Turning Point USA, the conservative campus group that Kirk co-founded.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
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Despite the mixed reception, the money counter was an earnest attempt to keep the show running on schedule, preventing one or two self-indulgent speakers from wrecking the running time.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Juni was shot in the head twice, with one bullet skimming her eye, and the other shattering her jaw.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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Bonded by a mysterious, complicated past, the men share a fraught, if occasionally tender relationship that had been forever altered by shattering events decades earlier.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Not even a month had passed since his big sister, Toraya, was shot and killed at an apartment complex in New Jersey, devastating the Reid family and shaking the Timberwolves organization to its core.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
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Oil was discovered there in the 1920s, and the county went through booms and busts for decades, enriching wildcatters and devastating the landscape, until a lasting bust left Loving County a virtual wasteland with no running water, paved roads, schools, hospitals, or grocery stores.—
Mitch Moxley,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Brown climbed the ladder to haul in a pass over the middle from Madsen, beating his defender in the air acrobatically before smashing into the end zone turf for the catch and a 33-14 lead.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
28 Sep. 2025
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Superman proved to fire off the new DC under chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran, while the original gambles that Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy have made at the larger Warner Bros Motion Picture Group with Sinners and F1, as well as new IP A Minecraft Movie, have been smashing successes.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Razing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/razing. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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