TEAR DOWN Synonyms: 170 Similar and Opposite Words

tear down

verb

Definition of tear down

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

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 tear down The relentless waves destroyed decks, tore down walls and appeared to flood several of the homes on Beach Road, part of the Capistrano Bay Community Services District. — Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026 The developer would tear down and renovate some of the dilapidated affordable units. — Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 9 Sep. 2026 Critics say Trump is tearing down the national security infrastructure with no clear vision of what comes next, aside from protecting the president's personal interests. — Greg Myre, NPR, 9 Sep. 2026 In 1974, Art Carney won the Best Actor Oscar for Paul Mazursky’s Harry & Tonto as a retired New Yorker who sets out on a cross-country journey to visit family with his cat after his building is being torn down. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tear down

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tear down

Verb

After Israel destroyed Jenin refugee camp during the Second Intifada in 2002, a young girl looked into Mohammad Bakri’s camera and said that Palestinians would live proudly as eagles and die standing like lions.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
That’s because key refineries that produce it have been knocked offline or destroyed, both in Eastern Europe — where the Ukraine-Russia war still rages — and in the Middle East.

— Steve Kopack, NBC news, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of destroy

Verb

In New York City, light-up drones recreated the outlines of the twin towers that used to be a fixture in the skyline before they were demolished in the attacks.

— Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 11 Sep. 2026
One drone operator talks about going out for lunch or hanging out with their friends in Tel Aviv after demolishing people’s houses in Gaza from miles away.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of demolish

Verb

To me, that would ruin all of the progress baseball has made over the last five years.

— Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
My personal concern is especially based on the fact that their huge need for additional electricity generation could very well ruin our ability to reduce carbon emissions and avoid a climate crisis.

— Martin Kushler, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of ruin

Verb

Last week a number of concerned mathematicians, many of them at the top of their subject, launched the Association for Human Mathematics (AHM)—an effort that was underway even before the earth-shattering Navier-Stokes news.

— Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 14 Sep. 2026
Maya’s fear of commitment mirrors the film’s fear of showing us anything truly ugly or grappling with the idea that our heroine is one of many, many people who lost someone during a society-shattering number of years.

— Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of shatter

Verb

Here’s how the shift happened, what the ingredient actually does below the neck and how to fold it into a routine without wrecking your skin barrier.

— Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Sep. 2026
Following instructions from the kidnappers (unbeknownst to his increasingly agitated comrades), Lee drives out to meet them for the exchange, only to wreck his car and become distracted saving a nearby woman, Hua (Moon Lee).

— Jake Cole, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of wreck

Verb

All those entities hoovered up the dollars PG&E had available to pay out victims of the Camp Fire, and other blazes including the deadly 2017 North Bay fires that devastated Santa Rosa and outlying communities.

— Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2026
If passed, the measure would devastate school districts across the state by reducing services that students and families depend on.

— Erick Trevino, AZCentral.com, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of devastate

Verb

Augusto, Marrero, Hernández and countless others have little choice but to figure things out which, in Cuban parlance, means overcoming whatever obstacle is placed in their way.

— Juan Carlos López, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2026
McKee, 75, will also have to overcome simmering anger over a bridge repair project that has dragged on longer than expected.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of overcome

Verb

Bayern smashed the record for goals in the Bundesliga last season, with 122 in the 34 matches.

— James Horncastle, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Of the 2,977 people who perished on 9/11, 2,753 were lost in the collapse of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center after two hijacked jetliners smashed into them.

— Mike Kelly, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of smash

Browse Nearby Words

tearaways

tear down

teardrop

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Cite this Entry

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“Tear down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tear%20down. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of tear down

verb

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