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
Right before the Mutual of America Residential approval, city officials signed off on a project to demolish a portion of the Office Depot world headquarters at 6600 N. Military to construct a 500-unit multifamily housing building.
—
Abigail Hasebroock, Sun Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2025
But the town’s cohesion frayed in the late twentieth century as factories shuttered, leaving behind dangerous pollution, and the construction of an interstate highway demolished the historic downtown.
—Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
But look what's happened to his country, it's been demolished.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025
But that was impossible because the old jail had been demolished in October of 2016.
—Keith Sharon, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Abigail Hasebroock, Sun Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2025
But the town’s cohesion frayed in the late twentieth century as factories shuttered, leaving behind dangerous pollution, and the construction of an interstate highway demolished the historic downtown.
—Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
But look what's happened to his country, it's been demolished.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025
But that was impossible because the old jail had been demolished in October of 2016.
—Keith Sharon, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demolish
Verb
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This is a major U-turn from Riot, after completely revamping the rewards system at the start of the year and being destroyed by fans for it.—
Mike Stubbs,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
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Lost in a sea of ash: When wildfire destroys a home — and a loved one’s urn — the search begins.—
Ryan Fonseca,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Sometimes, one bad person or a few bad people can ruin things for everybody.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 2025
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
26 Feb. 2025
Verb
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As the two vehicles collided, there was a loud boom; their windshields shattered, and the scene was engulfed in smoke.—
Stephania Taladrid,
The New Yorker,
27 Feb. 2025
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Recent events have shattered her image as a role model—a persona that has long been disputed by some of her co-stars.—
Louis Staples,
Rolling Stone,
26 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The school has since been razed, but the construction disturbed the soil beneath it.—
Michael Luo,
The New Yorker,
3 Mar. 2025
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There have been concerns over the health of the shores off Malibu after January's wildfires that razed the nearby Pacific Palisades, a community tucked on the western coast of Los Angeles, as well as the mountains to the east in Pasadena and Altadena.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC News,
24 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Without an effective treatment, the disease could devastate her harvest, leaving her unable to repay her loans or provide for her family.—
Daphne Ewing-Chow,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
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On Hollywood's biggest night, Colman Domingo led a tequila toast to the resilience of Los Angeles in the wake of the wildfires that devastated the city.—
Jessica Wang,
EW.com,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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And being choked at the age of 80 while your face is being smashed into the ground?—
Brittny Mejia,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2025
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Her shop’s front glass door was smashed and her point of sale system, electronics and some merchandise were taken.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
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With Austin Cindric and Erik Jones locked in a side-by-side battle to decide a Daytona 500 qualifying race less than 100 yards from the finish line, cars wrecked behind them and NASCAR immediately hit the caution button.—
Jeff Gluck,
The Athletic,
24 Feb. 2025
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As with other official statements over the previous two days, Webster said the cause is still under investigation and offered no reasons why the plane could have wrecked.—
Bill Lukitsch The Minnesota Star Tribune (TNS),
arkansasonline.com,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The Knicks blew a 19-point lead, and Philadelphia stormed back to take a 97-96 advantage with 3:59 left in the fourth quarter.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
27 Feb. 2025
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Courtenay Brown Feb 14, 2025 - Economy Trump trade plan intensifies The Trump trade war has blown past the realm of tariffs.—
Courtenay Brown,
Axios,
27 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Demolish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demolish. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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