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
Despite the best efforts of the Los Angeles Conservancy, the Ambassador had been torn down — and among the speakers decrying the fate of the legendary institution that evening was Diane Keaton.
—
Michael Schneider, Variety, 12 Oct. 2025
Portobello is a true story of police power, failures of the justice system, and the power of media to create and then tear down stars or icons.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2025
The other cabins were torn down a long time ago.
—Hazlitt, 8 Oct. 2025
Tzvika Tesler, the chairman of the kibbutz, says his community is now debating whether to tear down the charred and bullet-ridden husks of homes that were attacked or to preserve them like monuments.
—Emily Feng, NPR, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tear down
Michael Schneider, Variety, 12 Oct. 2025
Portobello is a true story of police power, failures of the justice system, and the power of media to create and then tear down stars or icons.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2025
The other cabins were torn down a long time ago.
—Hazlitt, 8 Oct. 2025
Tzvika Tesler, the chairman of the kibbutz, says his community is now debating whether to tear down the charred and bullet-ridden husks of homes that were attacked or to preserve them like monuments.
—Emily Feng, NPR, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tear down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tear down
Verb
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Almost every building is damaged or destroyed beyond repair.—
Kara Fox,
CNN Money,
19 Oct. 2025
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According to Craig Croucher of the Bot Builders, around 300 spectators turned out to watch the robots destroy each other.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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And often, that was exactly how forgeries were eventually demolished.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Oct. 2025
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On land, the current one- and two-story buildings will be demolished and replaced with 15,682 square feet of modern marina facilities spread across two, two-story buildings.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Back in January, Preston remembered filming My Best Friend’s Wedding — and how an iconic scene ruined crab and lobster for her.—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
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Packages of flying tortillas thrown at the wrong time, or pocket knives, would only hurt a reputation that Texas Tech has worked doggedly to change and show that the Red Raiders are at home on a national stage, and not the crazy drunk uncle ruining a holiday.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In a brief stint in the Clippers’ preseason opener in Oceanside, Brown came off the bench and immediately pulled down three offensive rebounds.—
Janis Carr,
Oc Register,
13 Oct. 2025
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Lee then pulled down his pants and attempted to force plaintiff’s head toward his genitals.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Tessa Ia leads the series as Valeria Goldberg, a young woman in a Jewish-Mexican community who makes a mistake that shatters her world and forces her into a desperate fight to find her missing children.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Oct. 2025
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When a prosperous farming family was murdered in their own home in cold blood for no reason at all by two young male ex-cons, the image of a neat, safe, mid-20th century rural American life was shattered.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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If the 12-point underdog Las Vegas Raiders somehow upset the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in Week 7 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, defensive end Maxx Crosby will have wrecked the game.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
17 Oct. 2025
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Six games into his fourth NFL season, Thibodeaux has flashed the game-wrecking potential that led to the Giants grabbing him in the top five of the of the 2022 draft.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Though the large recall sent shockwaves through the EV space, many fans of the nameplate were left devastated because of its initial positive reception.—
Charles Singh,
Nashville Tennessean,
15 Oct. 2025
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Suspect arrest in deadly Palisades Fire The man accused of starting a fire that eventually became the deadly blaze that devastated the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles earlier this year has been indicted by a federal grand jury, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.—
Alex Stone,
ABC News,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Thieves scaled the facade of the Parisian museum in broad daylight Sunday, using a ladder boosted by a mechanical boom truck and forcing a window open, smashing display cases inside, and making off with a handful of priceless jewels, PEOPLE previously reported.—
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
20 Oct. 2025
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Officials said thieves extended a basket lift to a window and smashed it open with an angle grinder.—
Bonny Chu , Ronn Blitzer,
FOXNews.com,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tear down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tear%20down. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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