TEARING DOWN Synonyms: 172 Similar and Opposite Words

tearing down

verb

present participle of tear down

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

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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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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 tearing down To mitigate this, staff proposed a adding a demolition-control ordinance to the amendment to keep people from simply tearing down houses. —

Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2026 Human Rights Watch said authorities have taken sweeping steps to curb religious practice, including tearing down churches and crosses, blocking gatherings at unregistered churches and seizing religious materials not approved by the state. —

Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2026 The demolition of a century of history in McKeesport began on Monday, as crews started tearing down the site of the old Penn-McKee Hotel. —

Chilekasi Adele, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026 Workers were tearing down the court at the near-empty United Center late Sunday afternoon after Michigan’s win over Tennessee when a roar erupted from the nearby media workroom. —

Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026 The decades-long struggle to make Victory a viable neighborhood should give pause to proponents of tearing down City Hall to build an arena and entertainment district. —

Mark Lamster architecture Critic, Dallas Morning News, 11 Mar. 2026 The developers also are tearing down the former Bank of America office building and parking garage to clear space for additional apartments. —

Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2026 Construction, which involves tearing down two, 1980s-era office buildings to make room for hundreds of apartments, is expected to start this spring. —

Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026 While outreach workers will be hitting homeless encampments throughout the city, encouraging people to go to shelters during the storm, the city will not be tearing down the makeshift shanties the homeless have built before Sunday’s storm, Mamdani said. —

Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tearing down

Verb

As Miles manages to lift up Lily and get her out of there, MPKs start hurling flash-bangs, destroying the Ed Baldwin shrine and shooting a couple of protesters in the process.

— Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2026
Ukrainian forces are systematically striking Russian oil refineries, pipelines, and storage facilities over 600 miles inside Russia, destroying tens of billions in infrastructure and disrupting Moscow’s war finances.

— Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026