1
as in to destroy
to destroy (as a building) completely by knocking down or breaking to pieces
developers demolished the old warehouse to make room for the new shopping mall
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to ruin
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
most of the buildings in the town had been demolished in the bombing raid
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to shatter
to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive
terrorists used a powerful pipe bomb to demolish the concrete wall around the compound
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of demolish
Construction began this week as the East Wing of the White House was demolished to make way for the new ballroom.
—
Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Oaklawn Avenue Bridge, which was just reconstructed for the I-77 north expansion, may be partially demolished and rebuilt.
—Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2025
In the 1800s, Austro-Hungarian authorities wanted to demolish homes alongside the Miljacka River to make room for a new city hall.
—Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
The East Wing was demolished this week, but the ballroom design is still in flux, even though construction was slated to begin in September.
—Marco Hernandez, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Oaklawn Avenue Bridge, which was just reconstructed for the I-77 north expansion, may be partially demolished and rebuilt.
—Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2025
In the 1800s, Austro-Hungarian authorities wanted to demolish homes alongside the Miljacka River to make room for a new city hall.
—Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
The East Wing was demolished this week, but the ballroom design is still in flux, even though construction was slated to begin in September.
—Marco Hernandez, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demolish
Verb
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The Japanese battleship Musashi, one of the largest ever built, was destroyed.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
26 Oct. 2025
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Russian air defense systems destroyed one drone heading for Moscow, the city’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Sunday, according to Reuters.—
Laura Sharman,
CNN Money,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Drummond's proposals to the court to sharply limit litter's use as fertilizer would amount to a ban on the practice in the river's watershed; this and the cost of removing all litter from the watershed would ruin poultry growers throughout the region, defendants argue.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Oct. 2025
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In the end, the explorers destroyed themselves and their ships and ruined the lives of so many indigenous people after setting up colonies in places like Tierra del Fuego.—
Charlie Markbreiter,
Them.,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Viewers are dropped into the aftermath of an unnamed personal conflict and must work out over the course of the runtime the stakes of the situation, a highwire act handled deftly by the actors whose tender performances provide the emotional impact of the film’s shattering final sequence.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
24 Oct. 2025
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The case of Mamulya, a donkey whose hoof was shattered, apparently in a mine explosion, becomes central to the story, emblematic of the assistance the sanctuary receives from within and beyond Ukraine’s borders in order to provide state-of-the-art medical treatments.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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When the Eaton Canyon fire razed the North Los Angeles community earlier this year, Colvert watched as the flames destroyed her school and many of her friends’ homes.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
24 Oct. 2025
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Most Democrats, 77%, opposed razing the East Wing, while a plurality of Republicans, 44%, signaled their approval.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Then, heat waves in 2024 devastated some northern colonies that had demonstrated more resilience.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
23 Oct. 2025
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This happened when Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina last year.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The solar wind smashes into the leading edge of Earth’s magnetosphere with supersonic speed, creating a shockwave that can come closer than one hundred thousand kilometers to the planet’s illuminated side.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
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From there, two of the thieves slinked up the ladder to smash a window that leads to the Galerie d’Apollon on the museum’s second floor.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In 1816 the stratosphere was saturated with Tambora’s dust, and sea ice nearly wrecked Scoresby’s ship off the eastern coast of Greenland.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
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That history came to an end after wrecking crews tore down the wing’s two stories of offices and reception rooms last week.—
Darlene Superville,
Denver Post,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Giants, meanwhile, are coming off a painful defeat to the Denver Broncos, after blowing a 19-0 lead and losing 33-32 on a last-second Denver field goal after missing two PATs of their own, including one with 37 seconds left.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
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After the final whistle blew at Memorial Stadium, Kiffin made some headlines for his postgame behavior toward an Oklahoma player.—
Matt Audilet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Demolish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demolish. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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