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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Construction workers began tearing down walls in the long-shuttered venue that were still scarred by bullet holes from the June 12, 2016, attack, when a gunman opened fire during a Latin night celebration, killing dozens and wounding 53 other people before police killed him following a standoff. —

Safiyah Riddle, Chicago Tribune, 18 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 City leaders are set to begin tearing down the building on Thursday afternoon at 5655 Old National Highway. —

Cbs News Atlanta Staff, CBS News, 25 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 Just over a year ago in Syria, when Bashar al-Assad’s rule ended, demonstrations of joy erupted all over the country and in many cases focused on tearing down images of him and his father. —

Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tearing down

Verb

The Pentagon has generally lumped it into the first objective of destroying Iran’s missile capability.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Mar. 2026
But there may be an answer, or at least a compromise that will satisfy those unhappy with the idea of destroying a usable building.

— Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026