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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 demolish
The classic example of an injunction is a command to stop a party from using a wrecking ball to demolish a building during a dispute over property rights.
—
Barbara McQuade, Twin Cities, 1 Apr. 2025
The historic Desert Inn, damaged by a truck five years ago, has been demolished.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2025
The Silverman Group bought all 172 acres, demolished the buildings on the southern half and turned the mostly undeveloped northern side into The Ridge at Talcott Mountain.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 28 Mar. 2025
Israeli forces regularly move in to demolish homes and other structures.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Barbara McQuade, Twin Cities, 1 Apr. 2025
The historic Desert Inn, damaged by a truck five years ago, has been demolished.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2025
The Silverman Group bought all 172 acres, demolished the buildings on the southern half and turned the mostly undeveloped northern side into The Ridge at Talcott Mountain.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 28 Mar. 2025
Israeli forces regularly move in to demolish homes and other structures.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demolish
Verb
-
Af Klint edited her own notebooks later in life, rewriting or destroying entire passages and exorcising biographical details.—
Jay Cheshes,
Smithsonian Magazine,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Helicopters dumped water over a burning forest in South Korea Thursday as fire crews struggled to contain the country's worst-ever wildfires, which have killed 28 people, forced at least 37,800 to flee their homes and destroyed thousands of structures and vehicles.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
An attorney representing former Santa Clara Vice Mayor Anthony Becker is asking a county judge to give the ex-official probation — not jail time — arguing that his conviction late last year has already damaged his reputation and ruined his career, according to a new court filing.—
Grace Hase,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2025
-
However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Simone Jasper,
Miami Herald,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Over the past year, women’s sports have shattered viewership records.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Israeli military’s response resumed last month, shattering a ceasefire.—
Justin Spike,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The rowhouses were razed for Shubert houses, most of them open by 1923, with the last, the Barrymore, arriving in 1928.—
Frank Rich,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2025
-
The building between them, at 3631, has already been razed.—
Edward Keegan,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The floods have devastated local economies and communities.—
Alan Taylor,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2025
-
In 2014, three West African countries were devastated by an Ebola outbreak that claimed more than 11,000 lives.—
Seth Berkley,
Time,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Kamikaze sank their first ship on Oct. 25, 1944, when a navy Zero pilot smashed into the USS St. Lo in the Philippine Sea while carrying a pair of 550-pound bombs.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2025
-
Carlson was wearing a helmet and smashing the windows of the apartment, and going in and out of the house to get gas cans from his truck, the document said.—
Mitchell Willetts,
Kansas City Star,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Part of the franchise’s challenge is to incorporate Leonard without wrecking team chemistry.—
Fluto Shinzawa,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2025
-
Back in the fortress, the Man of Steel scolds Krypto for wrecking the joint while he was gone.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
1 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
What used to build brands now risks blowing them up.—
Remy Blumenfeld,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Apr. 2025
-
Reliever Jorge Alcala blew a 99 mph fastball past Altuve in the seventh as the Astros star reached four strikeouts for the first time in a game since 2021.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Demolish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demolish. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share