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 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 Protesters tore down and disabled enforcement cameras and painted the policy as a civil liberties issue. Justin Worland, Time, 3 June 2026 Clashes intensified this weekend as police with riot shields and officers on horseback pushed back demonstrators, some of whom tore down barricades, hurled objects and set tires ablaze outside the 1,000-bed facility. Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2026 About that view from the East Wing Nine months after Jill Biden moved out of the White House, construction crews tore down the East Wing. Susan Page, USA Today, 30 May 2026 Attendance diminished in recent years as the Wizards tore down their roster in the hopes of accumulating draft picks in trades and losing enough games to win early picks via the annual draft lottery. Josh Robbins, New York Times, 28 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tore down
Verb
  • But just like all other houses in Collins First Nation, her home was completely destroyed by the fires.
    Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
  • The 1951 Flood claimed lives, destroyed homes and businesses, and scattered one of Kansas City’s largest Hispanic communities.
    Michelle Oliva-Espinosa, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2026
Verb
  • Audemard said two-thirds of those buildings collapsed, and everything in the complex will need to be demolished.
    Syra Ortiz-Blanes, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026
  • The Rike Concert Hall in Tbilisi, Georgia, is set to be demolished.
    News Desk, Artforum, 21 July 2026
Verb
  • What once was a world of fellowship has been ruined, covered in a pall of fear.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 17 July 2026
  • Dial said his arrest went on his record and ruined his career as an investment broker.
    ABC News, ABC News, 14 July 2026
Verb
  • Kirsten Koehler, a professor of environmental health and engineering at Johns Hopkins University, said the tiny particles, smaller than the diameter of a human hair, can stay in the air for long periods of time and aren’t pulled down by gravity.
    Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 18 July 2026
  • Moore, 42, pulled down the waistband of her leggings to show her stomach.
    Hannah Malach, InStyle, 17 July 2026
Verb
  • When the driver did not emerge after officers repeatedly ordered him out of the SUV, an officer shattered the window.
    Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
  • Experience Doesn't Replace Understanding COVID-19 shattered the traditional office, boomers are working longer and Gen Z brings new expectations.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Verb
  • France Under-21 international Jacquet, who arrived in a £60million ($81m at current exchange rates) move from French club Rennes, is fit to feature after recovering from the shoulder injury which wrecked the second half of last season for him.
    James Pearce, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • But in recent history, the Spanish national soccer team has repeatedly wrecked the plans of dreamers and screenwriters.
    Filip Bondy, New York Daily News, 19 July 2026
Verb
  • The clinics are stocked with medical supplies and generators to help restore healthcare in communities devastated by the earthquakes.
    Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 22 July 2026
  • The fire in rural Guadalajara comes less than two weeks after a deadly blaze devastated a small expat community in southern Spain.
    ABC News, ABC News, 22 July 2026
Verb
  • And then, suddenly, a male orca soared into view, belly up, and smashed his head into the dead fish.
    Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 23 July 2026
  • Beyond shooting incidents, a recent American Civil Liberties Union report found dozens of incidents across eight states since January 2025 where immigration officers rammed into people's cars, smashed vehicle windows and struck people with cars.
    Juliana Kim, NPR, 22 July 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 Jul. 2026.

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