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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tearing down
Jaclyn Penn was disappointed to see the Leawood City Council vote in favor of tearing down the old City Hall building.
—
Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2025
Except the organization did not react by tearing down its roster or scouring the market for improvements, the evaluator explained.
—Andy McCullough, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Lewis is learning how to be more present in a way that’s valuable to Jax and communicate in a way that’s building and not tearing down.
—Giana Levy, Variety, 18 Sep. 2025
Some agitators—likely external infiltrators—pushed the protesters forward, tearing down barricades as chants intensified.
—Sonal Nain, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Seconds after the anchors thanked Pulte for appearing and handed things off to Squawk on the Street, the production crew were tearing down the set and prepping for the opening bell.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
But the new private terminal is winning their support, with the backing of historians and preservationists who have been fighting to maintain South Florida’s aviation legacy in a region known for tearing down buildings.
—Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
The Raiders traded him to the Cowboys midway through the 2018 campaign, as the team was tearing down the roster.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2025
In Fort Worth’s Stop Six neighborhood, a $35 million HUD Choice Neighborhoods grant is tearing down old public housing and replacing it with new homes, better schools, and streets that can handle a heavy thunderstorm without shutting the neighborhood down.
—Lenwood V. Long, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2025
Except the organization did not react by tearing down its roster or scouring the market for improvements, the evaluator explained.
—Andy McCullough, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Lewis is learning how to be more present in a way that’s valuable to Jax and communicate in a way that’s building and not tearing down.
—Giana Levy, Variety, 18 Sep. 2025
Some agitators—likely external infiltrators—pushed the protesters forward, tearing down barricades as chants intensified.
—Sonal Nain, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Seconds after the anchors thanked Pulte for appearing and handed things off to Squawk on the Street, the production crew were tearing down the set and prepping for the opening bell.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
But the new private terminal is winning their support, with the backing of historians and preservationists who have been fighting to maintain South Florida’s aviation legacy in a region known for tearing down buildings.
—Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
The Raiders traded him to the Cowboys midway through the 2018 campaign, as the team was tearing down the roster.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2025
In Fort Worth’s Stop Six neighborhood, a $35 million HUD Choice Neighborhoods grant is tearing down old public housing and replacing it with new homes, better schools, and streets that can handle a heavy thunderstorm without shutting the neighborhood down.
—Lenwood V. Long, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tearing down
Verb
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The county was also heavily affected by the 2021 floods that swept most of Middle Tennessee, with high waters washing away multiple roads and even destroying a church in the Pinewood community, according to previous Tennessean reporting.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
10 Oct. 2025
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Just two years earlier, devastating floods swept through Middle Tennessee, damaging infrastructure and destroying a church in Pinewood.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Barner holds his arms parallel to the ground and swings them side to side while slowly stomping forward like Godzilla demolishing a city.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
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Often, demolishing a former shopping mall can be easier for builders who might then decide to build luxury housing that does not address the current affordability crisis.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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Since 2021, Spotify has offered an alternative app for kids to listen to music without ruining their parents recommendations.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Weiss began pulling down as much as $150,000 per engagement, a point of contention in the pro-Israel space, where advocates give speeches for free.—
Tatiana Siegel,
Variety,
7 Oct. 2025
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Many airlines are pulling down their operations at Newark, Bastian said, which reduces some of the congestion at the airport.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Not even a month had passed since his big sister, Toraya, was shot and killed at an apartment complex in New Jersey, devastating the Reid family and shaking the Timberwolves organization to its core.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
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Oil was discovered there in the 1920s, and the county went through booms and busts for decades, enriching wildcatters and devastating the landscape, until a lasting bust left Loving County a virtual wasteland with no running water, paved roads, schools, hospitals, or grocery stores.—
Mitch Moxley,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Two men left and fired into the restaurant from the outside, shattering windows and striking two teenagers.—
David Ferrara,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
14 Oct. 2025
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The crash’s giddy prequel, dramatic unfolding, and shattering aftermath—the Great Depression—has long provided compelling material for writers.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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One raid saw masked federal agents repelling from Black Hawk helicopters and wrecking an apartment building.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
9 Oct. 2025
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The wrecking-ball style is the way King played even at Longview (Texas) High, where his father was the coach, and didn’t coddle or protect his son, as Dickey remembers.—
Seth Emerson,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Balmer reportedly scaled a wall outside the mansion in Harrisburg before smashing windows, throwing homemade incendiary devices and eventually entering himself.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
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The Vultee aircraft completed a flight from Los Angeles to New York in 11 hours and 34 minutes and 16 seconds, smashing the existing record of 12 hours for that distance.—
Stuart Dyos,
Nashville Tennessean,
12 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tearing down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tearing%20down. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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