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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of tore down
Footage showed dozens of people being arrested as agitators shouted insults at state patrol officers, tore down yellow police tape and hurled lewd objects at law enforcement.
—
Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 8 Feb. 2026
The mother and son tore down the existing structure and built the Tavern in its place.
—Matthew Geiger, Denver Post, 7 Feb. 2026
But several months later, construction crews tore down the East Wing and colonnade, as well as the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 Feb. 2026
The group of artists, which was led by then-couple Michael Townsend and Adriana Valdez-Young, came up with the plan after real estate developers tore down their artists' commune about a mile away from what would become the mall.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
During the demonstrations for racial justice in 2020, protestors across the country defaced and tore down statues of Washington, arguing that enslavers should be reviled, not honored.
—John Garrison Marks, Time, 23 Jan. 2026
Beyond the Luddites, rioters destroyed threshing machines in 1830, Welsh protesters tore down turnpike tollgates in the 1840s.
—Craig S. Smith, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
The Free Press reports the Detroit Land Bank Authority is separately investigating another demolition contractor who allegedly tore down several homes and buried the debris under layers of backfill dirt instead of properly disposing of the materials.
—Violet Ikonomova, Freep.com, 12 Jan. 2026
All six members of the Commission of Fine Arts -- the panel that is supposed to review this construction project -- were fired as crews tore down building's section.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 8 Feb. 2026
The mother and son tore down the existing structure and built the Tavern in its place.
—Matthew Geiger, Denver Post, 7 Feb. 2026
But several months later, construction crews tore down the East Wing and colonnade, as well as the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 Feb. 2026
The group of artists, which was led by then-couple Michael Townsend and Adriana Valdez-Young, came up with the plan after real estate developers tore down their artists' commune about a mile away from what would become the mall.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
During the demonstrations for racial justice in 2020, protestors across the country defaced and tore down statues of Washington, arguing that enslavers should be reviled, not honored.
—John Garrison Marks, Time, 23 Jan. 2026
Beyond the Luddites, rioters destroyed threshing machines in 1830, Welsh protesters tore down turnpike tollgates in the 1840s.
—Craig S. Smith, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
The Free Press reports the Detroit Land Bank Authority is separately investigating another demolition contractor who allegedly tore down several homes and buried the debris under layers of backfill dirt instead of properly disposing of the materials.
—Violet Ikonomova, Freep.com, 12 Jan. 2026
All six members of the Commission of Fine Arts -- the panel that is supposed to review this construction project -- were fired as crews tore down building's section.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tore down
Verb
-
Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Athens then destroyed Melos and launched the Sicily Expedition with overwhelming force and no coherent theory of governance for what came next.—
Farah N. Jan,
The Conversation,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The biggest difference is that the old Kop terrace, which stood derelict for years, has finally been demolished, with a new stand now under construction.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
-
After swinging through a slider on the first pitch, Guerrero demolished a low, inside curveball into the concourse over the left-field seats for a two-run homer that made it 4-1.—
Noah Gulley,
Miami Herald,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Why the mistake should have ruined your day, Miss Manners cannot guess.—
Judith Martin,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Greg Gutfeld is better than all of them combined, including the Moron on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Sebastian Lathan had 3 points for Westwood, but pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Mar. 2026
-
And for Nebraska, a bad night can look like its loss to Iowa last month, where the team pulled down fewer offensive boards than Sam Hoiberg has letters in his first name.—
Peter Keating,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Residents helped to clear away rubble caused by the blast, which appeared to hit an apartment block, as vehicles sat covered in dust with their windows shattered and rubble strewn across the road.—
NBC News,
NBC news,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Most impressively, the program shattered traditional timelines by delivering a flight-ready system in just eight months.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Vonn’s hugely successful World Cup season at age 41 was ended by a nasty crash one month ago at the Milan Cortina Olympics that wrecked her left leg.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Born in Finland, raised in Boston, then wrecked in Ohio, the poor woman couldn’t exist as matter anymore.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The world has just lost an enormous beam of light, and we are devastated.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Tens of thousands of giant sequoia seedlings and saplings are sprouting in a Sierra Nevada grove devastated by the 2021 KNP Complex fire.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Will Gasparino leads the Bruins with 11 home runs so far this season, while top MLB draft prospect Roch Cholowsky has smashed eight homers.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Wearing hooded sweatshirts and full-face masks, the robbers ordered employees to one part of the room at gunpoint before two of them smashed the glass display cases with sledgehammers, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.—
Nick Sullivan
March 7,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tore down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tore%20down. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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