1
as in destroying
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 demolishing
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 tearing down
On Thursday morning, fire department trucks were tearing down the affected side of the building, which was entirely blackened and hollowed out from the flames.
—
Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026
Four men escaped the facility by tearing down one of the building’s walls.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
In Democratic cities, people demand 38 meetings and three dozen environmental assessments before tearing down a crack den to build a nursery for sad orphans.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 11 Jan. 2026
One video showing people tearing down a billboard image of Maduro dates as far back as July 2024.
—Lauren Fichten, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
In fact, Williams took great pains to establish that his primary objective is building the Terps (7-7, 0-3 Big Ten), not tearing down a 21-year-old prospect, the Bears or the sport’s governing body.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 3 Jan. 2026
Security video captured the moment a Corvette came down the street, tires screeching, before slamming into the property, tearing down the fence, damaging a boat and smashing through concrete.
—Miami Herald, 30 Dec. 2025
Thune has consistently opposed tearing down the filibuster.
—Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 7 Nov. 2025
In a special Halloween episode, Trump tearing down the East Wing unleashes a vengeful spirit, leading members of his administration to hold a seance.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026
Four men escaped the facility by tearing down one of the building’s walls.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
In Democratic cities, people demand 38 meetings and three dozen environmental assessments before tearing down a crack den to build a nursery for sad orphans.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 11 Jan. 2026
One video showing people tearing down a billboard image of Maduro dates as far back as July 2024.
—Lauren Fichten, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
In fact, Williams took great pains to establish that his primary objective is building the Terps (7-7, 0-3 Big Ten), not tearing down a 21-year-old prospect, the Bears or the sport’s governing body.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 3 Jan. 2026
Security video captured the moment a Corvette came down the street, tires screeching, before slamming into the property, tearing down the fence, damaging a boat and smashing through concrete.
—Miami Herald, 30 Dec. 2025
Thune has consistently opposed tearing down the filibuster.
—Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 7 Nov. 2025
In a special Halloween episode, Trump tearing down the East Wing unleashes a vengeful spirit, leading members of his administration to hold a seance.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tearing down
Verb
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Modesto Fire Department Firefighters quickly contained and extinguished the fire, preventing it from destroying the home, officials said.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
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By the way, the last scene of The Conversation has the paranoid Gene Hackman destroying his apartment in a desperate and futile search for listening devices.—
Rose Horowitch,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Crews are demolishing Westport infrastructure to construct an underground storage basin to hold water that previously would have flooded Westport buildings.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
26 Jan. 2026
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On Thursday morning, crews were nearly finished demolishing the adjacent structures, one of which was damaged by a fire in March 2024.—
Thomas Gounley,
Denver Post,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And, from this week’s issue, Nicola Twilley’s reporting on another lingering effect of the wildfires—smoke taint that is ruining grapes and threatening California’s wine industry.—
Dana Goodyear,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
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The video then shows the man asking if the situation was ruining Kaleel's Christmas.—
Jade Jackson,
IndyStar,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Dunn led the Trojans with a season-high 29 points while pulling down five rebounds.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
19 Jan. 2026
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The person, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, said they were punched in the face after pulling down an officer’s mask who was dragging them out of the vehicle.—
Natasha Korecki,
NBC news,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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While an eight-game winning run saw Cherki, Foden and Haaland hit their devastating best, three frustrating draws against Sunderland, Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion were characterised by wastefulness in front of goal.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
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Group members want to see Bonta’s office take ownership of a review, as occurred in Hawaii after Maui’s devastating Lahaina fire.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Yet for all of Malinin’s athleticism and his Beamonesque ability to take flight what has been most telling in what has already been a world record-shattering Olympic season has been the maturity of his skating, the willingness to take emotional risks in his programs.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
6 Jan. 2026
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Bana and Rocha were among the 615 participants in the 27th annual Waukegan Polar Bear Plunge on Thursday at the Waukegan Municipal Beach, shattering the record of 540 set in 2024, and collectively raising more than $20,000 for Special Recreation Services of Northern Lake County.—
Steve Sadin,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Dosunmu operated at times like a one-man wrecking crew, forcing his way downhill in the half court and cracking open the Heat’s confounded defense in the flow of transition.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
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At other locations in the valley, hospices operated inside strip malls alongside burrito stands, nail salons, dance studios, tax preparers and even an auto parts store and wrecking yard.—
William La Jeunesse,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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By smashing together heavy atoms of lead traveling at near-light speeds using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), scientists can create a high-energy environment that briefly frees gluons and quarks from this atomic bondage, recreating the quark-gluon plasma of the early universe.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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Repurposing waste heat The launch of the system marked the first time that the Large Hadron Collider, better known for smashing protons at near-light speeds, has been tapped as a renewable thermal source.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tearing down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tearing%20down. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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