1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in knocking down
to take apart
electricians will take down all the lights for the set after the play has finished its run
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in recording
to make a written note of
took down the customer's contact information
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of taking down
After taking down the British Union of Fascists from the inside, Tommy has mostly kept a low profile, but the thought of his heir siding with the Nazis might be enough to pull him back into the fight.
—
Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Feb. 2026
After taking down the serial numbers from three M-16s used in the Pakistani Taliban suicide attack on the cadet college, near Wana, CNN made a Freedom of Information Act request to the US military concerning how the weapons got to Afghanistan.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 3 Feb. 2026
And his two Super Bowls were against the New England Patriots, taking down Belichick and Tom Brady to spoil their perfect 2007 season and the 2011 campaign.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 29 Jan. 2026
The Hull Fire Department responded to a 2-alarm fire Tuesday afternoon, narrowly avoiding injuries while taking down a strong blaze.
—Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 28 Jan. 2026
By taking down supply, reducing sell-in plans for spring and cutting buys for summer, Nike is improving its inventory management and can benefit from improved sell-through and full-price realization.
—Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 27 Jan. 2026
The leaders stressed multiple times that any power outages would not be a sign of power grid failure, but would likely be due to ice or winds taking down power lines.
—Steven Rosenbaum, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
The Lakers overcame a 16-point deficit in the third quarter to notch one of their most significant wins of the season, taking down the Denver Nuggets 115-107 on Tuesday.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
This will give Geon-young another chance at taking down Ki-tae, who is more powerful than ever in a society—1970s Korea, under President Park Chung-hee’s authoritarian rule—that rewards corruption and cruelty.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 14 Jan. 2026
Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Feb. 2026
After taking down the serial numbers from three M-16s used in the Pakistani Taliban suicide attack on the cadet college, near Wana, CNN made a Freedom of Information Act request to the US military concerning how the weapons got to Afghanistan.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 3 Feb. 2026
And his two Super Bowls were against the New England Patriots, taking down Belichick and Tom Brady to spoil their perfect 2007 season and the 2011 campaign.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 29 Jan. 2026
The Hull Fire Department responded to a 2-alarm fire Tuesday afternoon, narrowly avoiding injuries while taking down a strong blaze.
—Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 28 Jan. 2026
By taking down supply, reducing sell-in plans for spring and cutting buys for summer, Nike is improving its inventory management and can benefit from improved sell-through and full-price realization.
—Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 27 Jan. 2026
The leaders stressed multiple times that any power outages would not be a sign of power grid failure, but would likely be due to ice or winds taking down power lines.
—Steven Rosenbaum, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
The Lakers overcame a 16-point deficit in the third quarter to notch one of their most significant wins of the season, taking down the Denver Nuggets 115-107 on Tuesday.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
This will give Geon-young another chance at taking down Ki-tae, who is more powerful than ever in a society—1970s Korea, under President Park Chung-hee’s authoritarian rule—that rewards corruption and cruelty.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 14 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking down
Verb
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First there was Norwegian’s Sturla Holm Lægreid confessing to cheating on his girlfriend during a live interview after winning the bronze medal and tearfully begging her to come back (shockingly, humiliating his ex on national television didn’t work).—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
-
At one point at the table, Jane ran a fork down the side of Robert's face, leaving red lines, humiliating him.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But when it was first announced, the project was not well-received by some residents, who argued that knocking down five existing apartment complexes to make room for the project could accelerate gentrification.—
Alex Driggars,
Austin American Statesman,
14 Feb. 2026
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Well, the two-time Eastern Conference rookie of the month is one of only two players in the NBA this season who’s averaging 15 points and five rebounds per game while knocking down at least 42% from 3-point range.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In another case in Charlotte, North Carolina, bystander video shows agents confronting two women who were following and recording immigration officers from inside their vehicle.—
Isabelle Chapman,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
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Orta, 34, has been arrested for drug dealing and gun possession since recording the video that helped spark the Black Lives Matter movement.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Supporters of Pahlavi were particularly vocal in Mashhad this month, as attested by the prevalence of pro-monarchy graffiti on city walls, and the regime’s propaganda devoted particular attention to discrediting the former crown prince.—
Davood Moradian,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
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Elordi and Giannulli appeared to be going strong over the next two years, with sources discrediting breakup speculation to PEOPLE in January 2024 and as the two vacationed together in Italy the following September.—
Luke Chinman,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The end of that conflict followed the people’s dismantling of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the reunification of Germany and finally the disintegration in 1991 of the Soviet Union.—
Arthur I. Cyr,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
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Last year, approximately three hundred and fifty-two thousand civil servants left their jobs, fulfilling one of the Administration’s stated goals of dismantling the government bureaucracy and demoralizing the federal workforce.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Braun led all scorers with 20 points, with Battle logging 17 points.—
Staff Report,
Twin Cities,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Not Tyra logging into AOL chat rooms.—
Sarah Hartshorne,
Vogue,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Fairchild played the free-wheeling bon vivant Nora Tyler Bing on five episodes of the sitcom classic, unwittingly embarrassing Perry's Chandler Bing to the delight of his pals.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Feb. 2026
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One day, Will goes viral after embarrassing ROAR league MVP, Mane Attraction (Aaron Pierre), during a streetball challenge, prompting his favorite team, the Vineland Thorns, to sign him to a season-ending contract in a desperate attempt to juice ticket sales.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Oil shortages and obsolete power stations constantly breaking down have made daily hours-long blackouts the new normal.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
21 Jan. 2026
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Others are also said to be on the verge of breaking down.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Taking down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taking%20down. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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