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
On Monday, cranes and demolition excavators tore down the exhibition hall closest to the Omni Hotel, dismembering parts of the building that will eventually unlock 20 to 30 acres for redevelopment and a new events facility.
—
Devyani Chhetri, Dallas Morning News, 30 Mar. 2026
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
Devyani Chhetri, Dallas Morning News, 30 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tore down
Verb
-
First Baptist Dallas will break ground on its new sanctuary on Sunday, June 7, after a massive fire destroyed the church's 134-year-old sanctuary in the summer of 2024, the church announced on Sunday.—
S.E. Jenkins,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The diplomat also said that the IDF’s targeting of bridges along Lebanon’s Litani River has destroyed vital infrastructure connecting the south to the rest of the country.—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
It was demolished to make way for a 7,000 square-foot gallery that opened in April 2022 at MCASD.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The building appears to have been demolished with twisted metal, bricks and other debris littering the site.—
Moriah Thomas,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The three runners whose chances of victory were ruined — Jess McClain, Emma Grace Hurley and Ednah Kurgat — are now invited to compete at the 2026 World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen in September.—
Bill Chappell,
NPR,
31 Mar. 2026
-
That passive-aggressive email ruined your mood, but the feedback about your project was pretty accurate.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Tatum registered his ninth assist less than three minutes after halftime and pulled down his 10th rebound just past the midway point of the third quarter.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Clardy had 17 points and three steals and Nunu Agara scored 12 and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.—
Bay Area News Group,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Front Range shattered it by 22,913 patrons.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The next day, an explosion shattered the glass-and-marble lobby of the Bank of America building in New York.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The explosion wrecked the cruisers and blew out the windows of nearby buildings.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Roads were closed, and ballfields were wrecked because of the rain.—
Chris Hoffman,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
President Harry Truman signed the Marshall Plan on April 3, 1948, a American initiative to help nations devastated by World World II rebuild.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2026
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Look, if this had happened in my third season playing this character, I’d be devastated.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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From her office at Aish, a Jewish educational institute with headquarters next to the Western Wall plaza, Geller can see where shrapnel dented and smashed rooftops, roads and a parking lot in the area.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Andrews said some people also smashed concrete barriers into smaller pieces and threw them at authorities.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tore down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tore%20down. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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