1
as in to destroy
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
vandals tore down the wooden fence blocking the entrance to the beach
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to demolish
to destroy (as a building) completely by knocking down or breaking to pieces
the new owners apparently bought the house just to tear it down and build a lavish mansion in its place
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tear down
Bleachers have been removed and replaced with VIP seating areas, a video scoreboard was installed and the old Marlboro Man ad in center field — a popular home run target — was torn down years ago.
—
Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2025
The cricket ground was torn down immediately after the tournament, but billionaire Mukesh Ambani, the owner of MI New York in the MLC, reportedly has plans to build a world-class facility in the famous city.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025
The house was previously purchased in 2013 for $5.5 million before being torn down and rebuilt by local firm Robert Gurney Architect.
—Shannon Carroll, Quartz, 7 Apr. 2025
Due to set up, the weekend-long event and tear down, avoid these streets beginning April 7 until April 14:
Main Street from Weatherford to 9th Street.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tear down
Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2025
The cricket ground was torn down immediately after the tournament, but billionaire Mukesh Ambani, the owner of MI New York in the MLC, reportedly has plans to build a world-class facility in the famous city.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025
The house was previously purchased in 2013 for $5.5 million before being torn down and rebuilt by local firm Robert Gurney Architect.
—Shannon Carroll, Quartz, 7 Apr. 2025
Due to set up, the weekend-long event and tear down, avoid these streets beginning April 7 until April 14:
Main Street from Weatherford to 9th Street.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tear down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tear down
Verb
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More than half a dozen tornadoes have been confirmed, including one in Marshall County, Oklahoma, that left two homes completely destroyed and damaged about 20 others.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2025
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The war has destroyed vast parts of Gaza and most of its food production capabilities.—
Melanie Lidman,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Purdy put his reporter’s hat back on and dug up that the 38 S. Fifth St. house — which would have sat in the plaza just south of the city council chambers — was demolished after an arson fire damaged it beyond repair.—
Sal Pizarro,
Mercury News,
19 Apr. 2025
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In Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, residents said the Israeli military demolished more homes in the city, which has all come under Israeli control in the past days in what Israeli leaders said was an expansion of security zones in Gaza to put more pressure on Hamas to release remaining hostages.—
Nidal al-Mughrabi,
USA Today,
16 Apr. 2025
Verb
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
27 Apr. 2025
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There is nothing that can ruin trying to sleep through a redeye like the sunrise hitting your face.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Best for a contemporary home with gold accents, everything pulls down as a singular unit to reveal a Murphy bed.—
Blake Bakkila,
Architectural Digest,
17 Apr. 2025
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Europe broadly rushed to pull down its dependence on Russian oil and gas in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Public trust has been shattered, and a change was needed so the system can begin to rebuild.—
Kaitlin McCallum,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2025
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Tobias is shattered by the negative response, but Gabin’s aggression doesn’t do anything to pull Tobias together.—
Oliver Sava,
Vulture,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The cops also seized his cellphone and tore apart his home of two years, wrecking his recording setup in the process.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
26 Apr. 2025
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As many little heartbeats as possible, just running around, wrecking stuff in the house.—
Kayla Grant,
People.com,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
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At first, Tyrion's owner was devastated with her dog's diagnosis.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
20 Apr. 2025
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The loss has brought yet another heartbreak for the Townsend family, stemming from the mass shooting that devastated this suburban Denver community 26 years ago.—
Nicquel Terry Ellis,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The Red Sox first baseman smashed his second three-run homer in two nights in an 8-5 loss to the Seattle Mariners.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2025
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In the past half decade, whole strata of this intricate New York support system have been smashed.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tear down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tear%20down. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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