tore down

verb

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
as in demolished
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

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 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 The properties sit across a cove from where Michael Jordan once tore down his own mansion (presumably to build a bigger one — as one does). — Charlotte Observer, 17 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tore down
  1. destroyed
  2. demolished
  3. ruined
  4. pulled down
  5. shattered
  6. wrecked
  7. devastated
  8. smashed
Verb
  • Firefighters battling a blaze that destroyed six homes in south Orange County can expect a bit of reprieve Saturday afternoon as Santa Ana winds begin to die down.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Its owners, a family of three, left for a cruise before the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel destroyed their property.
    — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of destroyed
Verb
  • That includes what else could get demolished or built, beyond the stadium and team headquarters.
    — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The island is the former home of a Renault factory, which was active for most of the 20th century and demolished in 2005.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of demolished
Verb
  • Janice was disgusted; Mary was emotionally devastated and financially ruined.
    — Ben Taub, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Totally ruined by introducing too many plot lines that were pointless or opened up and left alone without closure.
    — David Hookstead OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of ruined
Verb
  • Nik Bonitto stripped wideout Rashid Shaheed in scoring territory, Kris Abrams-Draine pulled down a fourth-quarter interception, and McMillian delivered the dagger in overtime.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The market is also being pulled down by continued weakness in semiconductor stocks, with the iShares Semiconductor ETF on pace for its seventh straight day of declines.
    — Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of pulled down
Verb
  • Multiple temperature records have been shattered, and an intense marine heat wave has been churning since last December — making our typical high tides even higher — El Niño notwithstanding.
    — Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Business damaged by gunfire A bullet shattered the window of Tikal Cocina Café during the shooting.
    — Janay Reece, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of shattered
Verb
  • Researchers believe the ship may have been traveling from the Levantine coast, which runs from Turkey in the north to Egypt in the south, to Troy or Crete when it was wrecked.
    — Jack Guy, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The story centers on an influencer whose life is wrecked by an online pile-on.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of wrecked
Verb
  • Decades of deforestation have devastated vast areas of orangutan habitat, pushing the animals into smaller pockets, increasing their vulnerability to poachers.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Going on two years after the wildfires that devastated Pacific Palisades and other Los Angeles-area neighborhoods, a popular moviehouse is ready for its closeup.
    — Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of devastated
Verb
  • The storm battered the coast over the weekend with wind, rain and unusually large waves, which tore apart a historic boardwalk and smashed into coastal homes.
    — JAIMIE DING, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Waves tore apart a historic boardwalk and smashed against coastal homes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of smashed

Browse Nearby Words

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tore down
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Cite this Entry

“Tore down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tore%20down. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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