tearing down

verb

present participle of tear down
1
as in destroying
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of vandals tore down the wooden fence blocking the entrance to the beach

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in demolishing
to destroy (as a building) completely by knocking down or breaking to pieces the new owners apparently bought the house just to tear it down and build a lavish mansion in its place

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 tearing down Demolition crews this month began tearing down another complex, the Lindy Boggs Medical Center, which had sat blighted and vacant for more than 20 years after Katrina. — Jack Brook, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026 Videos broadcast by regional news outlets and posted on social media show violent torrents of water surging through valleys and mountain passes, tearing down bridges and dams and sweeping away buildings. — Arshad R. Zargar, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026 One data center company, Aligned, is tearing down four high-vacancy office buildings in town, including the former ADP payroll building, to build new data center space. — Alex Nitkin, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026 The dissolution of the ghettos in the eighteenth century could be interpreted as tearing down barriers, but now poverty set in and the wealthy separated from those who formerly shared a similar destiny. — Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026 The thieves reportedly gained access to the building by using a Lilli Petroli truck and tearing down a large iron entrance gate using a cable. — Theo Belci, Artforum, 7 Aug. 2026 Mercury is a big network with an independent spirit, tearing down gatekeepers and giving a platform to the best indie shows. — Frank Racioppi, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 That will take Major League Soccer tearing down all the walls. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026 But others—including tearing down the East Wing to build a ballroom, or his plan to construct an arch at the city’s limits—are an attempt to cement his legacy long after his term in office is over. — Adam Harris, The Atlantic, 29 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tearing down
  1. destroying
  2. demolishing
  3. ruining
  4. pulling down
  5. shattering
  6. devastating
  7. wrecking
  8. smashing
Verb
  • Demonstrators carrying Spanish flags moved toward beachside migrant camps last week, destroying shelters and setting fires as police attempted to keep protesters and migrants apart, according to Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE and news agency EFE.
    — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Several homeowners near Meta’s massive Newton County data center have filed a lawsuit accusing the tech company and others of tainting their water and destroying their rural way of life.
    — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of destroying
Verb
  • Mansfield Timberview signaled state-title ambitions by demolishing West Mesquite 69-7, while White Settlement Brewer knocked off Class 6A Haltom 31-14 to open Class 5A play.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 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
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
  • The pressure improved in the second half with edge Seth Coleman-Lyles and defensive lineman Cam Riley pulling down quarterback Brandon Allen for the only sack of the game.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The teenage girls alerted police of the incident, in which the suspect allegedly attempted to engage the girls in conversation while pulling down his pants and masturbating in the driver’s seat of his vehicle, police said.
    — Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of pulling down
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
  • 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
  • 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

tearing
tearing down
tearing into
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Cite this Entry

“Tearing down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tearing%20down. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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