torn down

Definition of torn downnext
past participle 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 torn down Commissioner Patty Sheehan, the lone vote for landmark status, had feared the house would be torn down to make way for the park expansion, as did members of the trust, which petitioned for the designation. Camila Gomez, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 Mar. 2026 Zivin said the residents’ homes were immediately torn down by the owner’s demolition team. Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026 The last commercial tenant — a freestanding McDonald’s — was torn down in January 2025. Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2026 The court in fact was being torn down immediately after the KU game. Kansas City Star, 13 Mar. 2026 By 1753, the lot held an inn and a tavern, but about two centuries after the garden was created, the area was slated to be torn down. Chelsea Brasted, Southern Living, 12 Mar. 2026 First, though, everything must be torn down and rebuilt into something else. Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2026 The Chicago Stock Exchange Building was infamously torn down in 1971 and 1972 despite passionate protests from preservationists. Adam Harrington, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026 Bryan Tony, executive director of the Dallas Housing Coalition, said rents for low-income units can increase as new renters come in, and some smaller communities get torn down and redeveloped. Neal Franklin, Dallas Morning News, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torn down
Verb
  • The fire destroyed more than 160 structures and charred 25,000 acres in Orange and Riverside counties.
    Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 17 Mar. 2026
  • Her clothes and makeup were destroyed in the damage.
    Leondra Head, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Bulldozers and dynamite demolished the modernist mausoleum of Reza Shah, the founder of the Pahlavi dynasty.
    Azadeh Moaveni, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026
  • That’s going to continue until they are completely demolished.
    NBC news, NBC news, 22 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Depending on how bad the pest ruined plants in a particular latitude, the farmer either made it financially, or borrowed more from the bank to eat during the winter.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Mar. 2026
  • But this war may well have ruined the chances for such diplomatic options for many years to come.
    Matthew Bunn, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Leading rebounder Chris Cenac Jr stands 6-foot-11 and pulled down 18 boards against Idaho.
    Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026
  • Josh Hart gobbled up seven rebounds, while Towns pulled down three offensive boards.
    Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The pint-sized courier smashed straight through the glass of a West Town CTA bus shelter.
    Charlie De Mar, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
  • And so came, with American approval, the June 2025 12-day war in which Israel demolished Iranian air defenses, killed dozens of senior commanders and scientists, and, together with a one-day American intervention, smashed Iranian nuclear sites.
    Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Zelenskyy said late Monday that counterattacks by Ukrainian forces at eastern and southern points along the front line have wrecked Moscow's plans for a March offensive.
    ABC News, ABC News, 17 Mar. 2026
  • Zelensky said late Monday that counterattacks by Ukrainian forces at eastern and southern points along the front line have wrecked Moscow’s plans for a March offensive.
    Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Now, months later, residents say the gunfire has shattered their peace, ruining quiet strolls and sunsets on the neighborhood’s lakes.
    Christopher Spata, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
  • When golf-ball-sized hail and 60 mph winds slammed the east coast of Florida in May, Chris Jadin came home to a truck covered in dents and glass all over the floor of his house, his skylight shattered by the falling ice.
    Scott Pham, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Fears are growing in the country, already devastated by years of conflict, that Israel may be about to launch a broad invasion of Lebanon's south.
    Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 20 Mar. 2026
  • Longtime Joliet resident Kathleen Garthus said other development in the city has left her homeless, and she's devastated to see the pattern continue.
    Todd Feurer, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Torn down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torn%20down. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.

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