TAKING DOWN Synonyms: 150 Similar and Opposite Words

taking down

verb

present participle of take down

as in humiliating

to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes there's no need to take us down by making fun of our clothes

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as in knocking down

to take apart electricians will take down all the lights for the set after the play has finished its run

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in recording

to make a written note of took down the customer's contact information

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of taking down Worlds of Fun visitors posted photos on Facebook on June 30 of a construction crew taking down the Cosmic Coaster. — Alexa Newsom, Kansas City Star, 6 July 2026 Following his arrest, Vance and his co-conspirators destroyed evidence by deleting phone messages and taking down the two websites, the plea agreement says. — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2026 The ensuing public backlash led the Senate on Wednesday to unanimously agree with a measure that would block the government from taking down the OOI. — John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 18 June 2026 The board authorized the change to the uniform 80 mph speed limit in a 3-2 vote, directing ITD staff to begin taking down the truck speed limit signs. — Rose Evans updated June 18, Idaho Statesman, 18 June 2026 The Paraguayans will be making their return to the World Cup stage for the first time since 2010, and have been giant killers throughout their qualifying rounds, taking down the likes of South American heavyweights Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil. — Austin Perry, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026 Among the most controversial aspects of the foundation’s plans — and part of what inspired a lawsuit — were taking down old-growth trees on the site in Jackson Park. — A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2026 Roberts opened up the space by taking down office partitions in the roughly 1,500-square-foot store, 3941 Park Drive, Suite 80. — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 13 May 2026 On Monday morning, Stockton police returned to the area, taking down tents and removing people still living near the slough. — Nina Burns, CBS News, 12 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking down

Verb

Instead of demanding personal fealty or humiliating them to assert personal dominance, Lincoln absorbed their egos and occasional slights, elevating their talents and turning his fiercest political adversaries into his most devoted champions.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 24 June 2026
The autocrat delights in humiliating so many people, not least tech billionaires, including Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg, who once opposed him.

— David Remnick, New Yorker, 23 June 2026

Definition of humiliating

Verb

The pair of earthquakes struck on June 24, knocking down buildings, sending residents fleeing for safety and trapping some survivors under the rubble for days.

— Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 8 July 2026
Frazier won by unanimous decision after knocking down Ali in Round 15.

— Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026

Definition of knocking down

Verb

At the time, Taylor was in the process of re-recording her first six albums after not being given the chance to buy back her masters, but has since secured complete ownership of her discography.

— Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 6 July 2026
Crow-Armstrong has been crafty on the base paths, recording 21 steals on 27 attempts.

— Data Skrive, New York Times, 5 July 2026

Definition of recording

Verb

Kiryl Pazniak, 49, who hosted a popular political show on YouTube, has been convicted on the charges of discrediting Belarus and forming an extremist organization, the group said — accusations widely used by authorities to stifle critical voices.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 July 2026
Defense attorney Tom Mesereau was an expert at discrediting witnesses, subjects told the filmmakers, but certain key witnesses, like Janet Arvizo, struggled to connect with the jury on their own.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2026

Definition of discrediting

Verb

This is not about escaping our responsibilities or dismantling France’s cultural exception.

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 6 July 2026
That could mean dismantling the 10,500-foot runway the county installed there in the 1960s, before environmental groups — led by Marjory Stoneman Douglas — rose up to block what was supposed to be the country’s largest airport.

— Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026

Definition of dismantling

Verb

Electronic logging devices, which have been mandatory in most commercial vehicles since 2017, capture continuous records of driver hours and location that are often the most important evidence in a serious truck case.

— Karen Koehler, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 July 2026
The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S & P 500 are up 10% this year, with the former logging its best first-half performance since 2021.

— Assiatou Hann, CNBC, 7 July 2026

Definition of logging

Verb

Ukraine has carried out major drone strikes on Russia’s two largest cities, embarrassing the Kremlin with images of black plumes of smoke that circulated widely online, despite regulations restricting their publication.

— ABC News, ABC News, 1 July 2026
But in this case, the ejection was absolutely unnecessary and, frankly, embarrassing for Lentz.

— Levi Weaver, New York Times, 30 June 2026

Definition of embarrassing

Verb

Harmful molecules called free radicals show up, certain enzymes start breaking down collagen and the immune system is activated.

— Leslie Baumann, Miami Herald, 9 July 2026
Not disappearing and not fully breaking down, but moving through a human body, into wastewater, through treatment systems never designed to catch it completely, and then out into coastal waters where tides blur the boundary between city and sea.

— Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026