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
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
Among strong Trump disapprovers, 82% strongly oppose tearing down the East Wing and building a ballroom, while a much smaller 37% of those who somewhat disapprove of the president strongly oppose the plan.
—Emily Guskin, ABC News, 30 Oct. 2025
And the visual manifestation of that may just be tearing down the East Wing of the White House.
—NBC news, 26 Oct. 2025
For the first time since general manager Joe Cronin began tearing down a playoff roster five years ago, the team is competent.
—Jason Quick, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Demolition crews have begun tearing down the East Wing of the White House, clearing ground for a 90,000-square foot ballroom in the biggest White House expansion in more than 70 years.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
While there have been reports of unpermitted construction that was halted and the tearing down of some buildings at Monster Lake, Pam Filtner noted in the Cowboy State Daily that the Bighorn Ranch structures have thankfully remained intact.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 24 Oct. 2025
An Illinois State University faculty member was arrested after he was accused of flipping a Turning Point USA student group's table and tearing down promotional flyers on campus last week.
—Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2025
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
Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
Among strong Trump disapprovers, 82% strongly oppose tearing down the East Wing and building a ballroom, while a much smaller 37% of those who somewhat disapprove of the president strongly oppose the plan.
—Emily Guskin, ABC News, 30 Oct. 2025
And the visual manifestation of that may just be tearing down the East Wing of the White House.
—NBC news, 26 Oct. 2025
For the first time since general manager Joe Cronin began tearing down a playoff roster five years ago, the team is competent.
—Jason Quick, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Demolition crews have begun tearing down the East Wing of the White House, clearing ground for a 90,000-square foot ballroom in the biggest White House expansion in more than 70 years.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
While there have been reports of unpermitted construction that was halted and the tearing down of some buildings at Monster Lake, Pam Filtner noted in the Cowboy State Daily that the Bighorn Ranch structures have thankfully remained intact.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 24 Oct. 2025
An Illinois State University faculty member was arrested after he was accused of flipping a Turning Point USA student group's table and tearing down promotional flyers on campus last week.
—Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tearing down
Verb
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And candidates who stoked fear in voters — with the threat of towering multi-family complexes destroying their communities or costly local infrastructure projects driving up taxes — lost by clear margins.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
7 Nov. 2025
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Derek Lopez, 27, was fired from his role at the university after he was caught on camera destroying a Turning Point display.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The military showed us a map of Hamas tunnel routes Israeli forces are still discovering and demolishing in the area.—
Daniel Estrin,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
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Most recently, crews began demolishing the East Wing of the White House.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The Chiefs have seen some of league’s premier running backs — such as Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Jahmyr Gibbs — and have met each challenge, preventing those elite players from ruining the defensive game plan.—
Emily Curiel,
Kansas City Star,
26 Oct. 2025
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Clark reiterated his belief that the Dodgers are not ruining baseball.—
Evan Drellich,
New York Times,
25 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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The fires claimed 102 lives, displaced over 13,000 others and burned more than 3,000 homes, destroying centuries of cultural history and devastating the economy of an entire region, with losses estimated at nearly $13 billion.—
Josh Green,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
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Pope Leo expressed his closeness to the victims of Hurricane Melissa, which struck Cuba this morning after devastating Jamaica.—
Matt Nighswander,
NBC news,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The user shared another clip in the thread that followed, showing the G1 breaking into a room like a burglar, shattering a glass door.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
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But to have somebody that's a main character like that actually get killed was something that was shattering to everybody.—
Sabienna Bowman,
PEOPLE,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Storm preparations Cuba has been struck almost yearly by a major hurricane in recent years, sometimes twice, wrecking the country’s already decrepit infrastructure, damaging crops and destroying thousands of homes in precarious condition.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
27 Oct. 2025
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That history came to an end after wrecking crews tore down the wing’s two stories of offices and reception rooms last week.—
Darlene Superville,
Denver Post,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The ceremony involved smashing a bottle of champagne into the hull of the submarine, which Navy Commander Admiral Aleksandr Moiseev did.—
Abhishek Bhardwaj,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
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The situation is likely to seem even more bizarre to some people, after a video was released Tuesday, showing Perry picking up a birthday cake presented to her by her Lifetimes Tour backup dancers and smashing it on the ground.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tearing down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tearing%20down. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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