tore down

past tense of tear down
1
as in destroyed
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

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 tore down Bulldozers tore down Palestinian businessman Riyad Mureish’s home in Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Friday, as Israeli officials launched a fresh crackdown on residents there. — Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 24 Oct. 2026 Israeli authorities tore down a five-story building in east Jerusalem on Tuesday. — Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026 Thousands of fans in a crowd of 48,238 stormed the field and tore down both goalposts to celebrate the end of a four-game KU losing streak. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2026 In 2023, the Claramontes tore down the house, despite protests from civic leaders who sought to maintain the area’s heritage. — Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 14 Aug. 2026 Department of Homeland Security contractors tore down the first of the three trees on July 27. — Michael Loria, USA Today, 30 July 2026 The French revolutionaries tore down almost all of society’s old structures—including the calendar, the churches, and the school system. — David Brooks, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026 Piepenbrink encouraged people to visit the Crete Township Community Center on Cottage Grove Avenue and Monee Road to view photos from a 1952 fire that tore down the Balmoral Park grandstand during renovations. — Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2026 The president's team also repaired fountains throughout the city, tore down the White House's East Wing to make way for a ballroom, attempted to close the Kennedy Center for renovations, and drew up plans for a gigantic triumphal arch across the river from the capital in Virginia. — Joe Walsh, CBS News, 19 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tore down
Verb
  • Both the rocket and the camera were destroyed after crashing into the Earth at a speed of about 340 miles per hour.
    — Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Cities outside Paris have been hit hard by the unrest, including Limoges where a fire nearly destroyed the 19th-century city hall.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Clare is now living with Wilcox; her home was demolished in the crash.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The Santa Maria Addolorata Church in West Town is being demolished to make way for six new homes.
    — Marissa Perlman, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • My brother’s wife has ruined each and every get-together by having constant fights with her little boy about eating.
    — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Tyrese Maxey scored 28 points, Jaylen Brown had 19, Joel Embiid had 13 points and 11 rebounds, and the Sixers ruined the Knicks' championship party.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Stock futures are selling off this morning, pulled down by post-earnings declines in Club name Meta Platforms and Tesla .
    — Jeff Marks,Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
  • So did Brett Howden, who was awarded an empty-net goal after he was pulled down.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • On Wednesday night, northern and central parts of the state saw hail the size of golf balls that pummeled people’s roofs, shattered windows and dented cars, along with damaging wind gusts.
    — Wufei Yu, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Hail pummeled people's roofs, shattered windows and dented cars.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The 21-year-old from Dallas, who soared to gold in the all-around on Friday after recovering from injuries that wrecked her Olympic hopes in 2021 and again in 2024, hardly looked tired in what has quickly become the meet of her life.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Just as Bryan’s own ascent began, alcoholism almost wrecked his fellow Oklahoma heroes, Turnpike Troubadours.
    — Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Iran’s military has been devastated by American attacks, but the Iranian forces have continued to launch missiles, drones and naval operations to inflict damage in the region.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
  • At home, the United States had defeated their armies, destroyed their infrastructure, retaken their territory, emancipated their enslaved, and devastated their economy and society into a catastrophic mess.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Protesters have hurled rocks at police, burned government buildings, smashed shop windows and destroyed private property.
    — Chris Massaro, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Carl Court / Getty In cities across the country, demonstrators set fire to newsstands and smashed windows.
    — Max Butterworth, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Tore down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tore%20down. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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