TORN DOWN Synonyms: 176 Similar and Opposite Words

torn down

verb

past participle of tear down

as in destroyed

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

as in demolished

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

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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 torn down Several of this week’s top single-family contracts were for homes that will likely be torn down and redeveloped. — Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026 Throughout the Pittsburgh region, places like Monroeville Mall and Pittsburgh Mills have shed tenants, closed, or, in the case of Century III Mall, were torn down. — Patrick Damp, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026 The 34-acre site now houses Beckman-Coulter, which will be moving in approximately two years and the buildings torn down. — Terri Daxon, Oc Register, 20 Aug. 2026 On the other lies a park in one of the Bronx’s poorest communities, built on the site of the former Yankee Stadium after the old home of the Yankees was torn down in 2009 and 2010. — Sam Blum, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026 The days of demolition derbies and grandstand-filling concerts are gone — and have been since the grandstand was torn down back in 2001. — Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2026 And the iconic Excelsior Club in west Charlotte was torn down in July but is set to be resurrected. — Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 12 Aug. 2026 Statues are torn down, buildings with people's names on them erode. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026 Their wait spanned three years while their old houses were torn down and rebuilt. — Kamala Thiagarajan, NPR, 1 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for torn down

Verb

The fire started in the 2300 block of Pickett Road and destroyed five structures, according to Cal Fire.

— Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of destroyed

Verb

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
His Administration demolished the White House’s East Wing to make way for a ballroom costing hundreds of millions of dollars—a project facing its own legal challenges.

— Chad de Guzman, Time, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of demolished

Verb

Three winemakers earlier this month filed suit against the owner of Hundred Acre Wines, Jayson Woodbridge, and his company alleging that smoke from the wildfire ruined their harvests, the Press Democrat reported.

— Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Authorities in Napa County have charged a man for allegedly setting the 2025 Pickett Fire near Calistoga, which burned thousands of acres of Wine Country and ruined grape harvests because of the smoke.

— Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of ruined

Verb

Anne Shirley has smashed her slate over Gilbert Blythe’s head.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2026
Archaeologists in Central Europe recently came across an unusual hoard of Bronze Age tools — including a sword that had been deliberately smashed with a powerful blow.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of smashed

Verb

As more cars wrecked behind the incident, NASCAR was forced to throw the caution flag — freezing the field with Preece in front.

— Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 30 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 wrecked

Verb

Adolf Hitler's army has been shattered, but thousands of Nazi fanatics are prepared to engage in an epic last stand.

— Danielle Parker, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
The case against the Tates That image of impunity shattered on July 18, when US Marshals arrested the brothers outside a bare-knuckle boxing match in Miami on an extradition request from British authorities.

— Jonny Hallam, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of shattered

Verb

At a key power plant that was severely damaged by the floods, workers started inspecting the facilities Sunday to survey the destruction.

— Victoria Milko, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
The Don Curry Nature Trail — named for the Troop 326 scoutmaster and Fort Worth attorney — replaced an older trail that had been damaged by erosion.

— Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of damaged

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tornadoes

torn down

torn into

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“Torn down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torn%20down. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of torn down

verb

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