RAZING Synonyms: 172 Similar and Opposite Words

razing

verb

present participle of raze

as in destroying

to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of an entire city block razed by a terrible fire

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in demolishing

to destroy (as a building) completely by knocking down or breaking to pieces the developer razed the old school building and built a high-rise condominium complex

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 razing In March, Nebraska’s Morrill Fire tore through 642,000 acres to become the largest in state history, killing one person and razing vast stretches of cattle country. — Martin Goillandeau, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026 By the late 1980s, McAuley’s days clearly were numbered, as the DuPage County Airport Authority, in the midst of a major expansion, began buying and razing most of the remaining homes in the McAuley district. — Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2026 Co-founder Ray Bobbitt, a local face of the project, has floated the idea of razing the former A’s ballpark and replacing it with a smaller stadium, plus a hotel, retail storefronts and nightlife venues, in addition to housing. — Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 13 July 2026 In recent weeks, Lebanon proved to be a particularly sensitive flashpoint, with Israel continuing attacks in southern Lebanon and its ground troops razing towns and villages. — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026 The historic designation effectively saved the building from demolition, but only for three years, at which point the brothers were no longer bound by any restrictions on razing the home to the ground. — Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 3 June 2026 Mertensotto Field While the new municipal campus is at the same site as the current city hall building, new construction would include razing the baseball field known as Mertensotto Field at Civic Center Park. — Elliot Mann, Twin Cities, 25 May 2026 Israel is razing and looting homes and has vowed to prevent hundreds of thousands of residents, predominantly Shiites, though also members of other religious communities, from returning. — Rania Abouzeid, New Yorker, 21 May 2026 And what a voice — what an instrument of razing and of raising. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 20 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for razing

Verb

Pumping at high speeds creates a suction vortex (upconing) that violently draws heavy sludge into the production stream, fouling piping and destroying surface pumps.

— Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
The tornado wreaked havoc in the village of 1,000 inhabitants, reducing homes to rubble and destroying numerous cars.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of destroying

Verb

As community members organized marches and protests, Abdeen helped bring a class-action lawsuit against the city, arguing that demolishing the neighborhood would violate residents’ civil rights.

— Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026
Trump has faced widespread criticism for demolishing the East Wing of the White House to make room for the grand ballroom design.

— Callum Sutherland, Time, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of demolishing

Verb

For a full breakdown of how to clean your bedding without ruining it, refer to AD's guide on how to wash a comforter.

— Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 24 Aug. 2026
This allegedly caused the cancellation of school recesses, and also ruining weddings and funerals.

— Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of ruining

Verb

In a May interview on The Pivot Podcast, Davis blamed his opioid abuse for wrecking his home life.

— Joshua Goodman, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
The 1982-83 winter season, which coincided with a very strong El Niño, was historically destructive for California’s coast, with storms wrecking the Santa Monica and Seal Beach piers.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of wrecking

Verb

The video shows a customer walking out of Cinnaholic when the girls ride the scooter through the window, shattering the glass.

— Adam Thompson, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026
Wednesday, which was forecast to be the hottest day of the heat wave, brought record-shattering temperatures across the Southland.

— Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of shattering

Verb

Over 150 people have been killed and hundreds more are missing after devastating flash floods swept through the Himalayan region along the Nepal-Tibet border, officials from both countries confirmed Wednesday.

— Callum Sutherland, Time, 26 Aug. 2026
And that roads budget included the funding to take care of the existing roads, which would have been devastating ecologically and socially, because if these roads keep falling off the hillsides, then people can’t use them.

— Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of devastating

Verb

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
Nvidia guided for 70% revenue growth in fiscal-year 2028, smashing estimates of 40%.

— Benzinga, Freep.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of smashing

Browse Nearby Words

razes

razing

razz

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“Razing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/razing. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of razing

verb

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