demolish

verb

di-ˈmä-lish How to pronounce demolish (audio)
Definition of demolishnext
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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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

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 With no one coming forward with a plan to renovate and reuse the building, the RDC plans to demolish it. — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2026 Meanwhile, as cars replaced horses, streets had to be widened, and several of the city’s many inconvenient hills were flattened—some houses were demolished, but plenty were simply rolled out of the way. — Nicola Twilley, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2026 In court papers, the Justice Department warned the performing arts institution may have to be demolished if it cannot be closed for two years for renovations. — Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026 While members of the public and the architectural community have criticized the Rike Tubes for altering the character of Tbilisi’s historic old town, some favored relocating them to a more suitable setting rather than demolishing them. — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for demolish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demolish
  1. destroy
  2. ruin
  3. shatter
  4. raze
  5. devastate
  6. smash
  7. wreck
  8. blow
Verb
  • Almost 50 homes and other structures have been destroyed so far; there have been several injuries, and one of Tibbetts’s neighbors lost 20 German shepherds.
    — Anya Kamenetz, Curbed, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The flood then destroyed roads and knocked out power and phone networks, leaving families unable to establish even the most basic facts.
    — Laura Saravia, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of destroy
Verb
  • But if clouds ruin your view — or the moon is below the horizon at the time of the eclipse — there's no need to fret!
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The news of the relationship almost ruined the church, which quickly began hemorrhaging members.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of ruin
Verb
  • In addition, the original estimate that the Falcon 9 reusable boosters were only good for 10 flights has been shattered by the latest mission using a booster that had flown 37 times.
    — David Szondy August 25, New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2026
  • In 1985, the director Kevin Sullivan produced, with primary funding from the Canadian Broadcasting Company and support from PBS, a record-shattering Anne miniseries.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of shatter
Verb
  • In 1968 Britain considered evicting the family by force, with declassified documents showing a plan to raze the fort.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026
  • After razing huge warehouses in recent months belonging to Wildberries, Russia’s biggest online retailer, Ukrainian drones are now taking aim at Ozon, the country’s second-largest e-commerce company.
    — Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of raze
Verb
  • Rescue crews and foreign specialists are racing to find scores of workers feared trapped alive inside hydropower tunnels in Nepal, after thick mud buried the facilities during last week’s devastating flash floods.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Travelers hoping to visit the Grand Canyon in coming days may want to adjust their plans after devastating flash flooding that has left at least two people dead and more than a dozen others missing.
    — Eve Chen, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of devastate
Verb
  • And yet the company's earnings garners scant attention compared to those names, to say nothing of Nvidia, which smashed expectations last week.
    — Michael Khouw, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Bland said officers were dispatched after a 911 caller reported that Garcia had been walking down the street with a baseball bat, smashing car windows.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of smash
Verb
  • In addition, Moscow continued its efforts to wreck the Ukrainian power grid before the freezing winter months.
    — Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
  • But in a case of life imitating art, the show’s entire publicity strategy was inadvertently wrecked by a real-life aristocrat, after reports leaked that Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, was being eyed for a role in the series.
    — K.J. Yossman, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of wreck
Verb
  • It’s been a decade since the company best known for sucking up hair balls and dust bunnies blew with great force into the beauty business.
    — Jenny Bailly, Allure, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The Las Vegas spectacle, which opened to the public in August 2025, already blows audiences around with tornado-force wind, shakes them with haptic seats, sends giant winged monkeys flying overhead and drops hundreds of foam apples from the ceiling.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of blow

Browse Nearby Words

demoiselles
demolish
demolished
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Cite this Entry

“Demolish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demolish. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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