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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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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of demolish
An attempt to save two buildings set to be demolished as part of Rabbit Hole Distillery’s expansion in NuLu failed Thursday.
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Matthew Glowicki, The Courier-Journal, 18 Oct. 2024
When soldiers return to the village to demolish a covert reconstruction (in which Abraham lent a hand) and to confiscate the villagers’ tools, Abraham and Adra film the attack.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2024
In addition to wrecking many businesses and private homes, the flooding in Chimney Rock tore up Main Street, creating a deep and jagged gash in the asphalt and completely demolishing the walkways along the riverfront.
—Marshall Crook, NBC News, 23 Oct. 2024
The tornado moved onto the Brighton Seminole Indian Reservation, damaging some traditional chickee huts and demolishing the spectator and dugout areas at a sports complex.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 19 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for demolish 
Matthew Glowicki, The Courier-Journal, 18 Oct. 2024
When soldiers return to the village to demolish a covert reconstruction (in which Abraham lent a hand) and to confiscate the villagers’ tools, Abraham and Adra film the attack.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2024
In addition to wrecking many businesses and private homes, the flooding in Chimney Rock tore up Main Street, creating a deep and jagged gash in the asphalt and completely demolishing the walkways along the riverfront.
—Marshall Crook, NBC News, 23 Oct. 2024
The tornado moved onto the Brighton Seminole Indian Reservation, damaging some traditional chickee huts and demolishing the spectator and dugout areas at a sports complex.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 19 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for demolish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demolish
Verb
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Approximately 40 firefighters responded to the blaze, which was first reported at 11:43 a.m., destroyed one building, damaged at least three others, and downed utility wires along 17th Street.Ryan Macasero, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024
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The fire destroyed an apartment building near Ammons Street and West 12th Avenue, killing two cats and displacing four people, according to West Metro Fire Rescue.Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 8 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Lobby group Family Business UK said tens of thousands of family-run businesses and farms will be ruined by this change due to lower levels of inheritance tax relief.Marc Shoffman, theweek, 6 Nov. 2024
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The ground floors of thousands of homes have been ruined.Hernán Muñoz and Joseph Wilson, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
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As the menace escalates, her parents dismiss her fears, and Annie is soon plunged into a terrifying nightmare that shatters her world.Zac Ntim, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2024
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The resulting encounter, in which his vulnerability and her deceits are laid bare, provides a quietly shattering climax.Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Toy store, Khan Younis Before War has razed the Barbakh building to the ground, and the siblings and cousins who lived there are scattered.Raja Abdulrahim, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2024
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The child and her father are among the handful of people whose bodies are still under the rubble of a multistory apartment building in Beirut’s southern suburbs that was razed in Friday’s air strike.Rania Abouzeid, The New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2024
Verb
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While many athletes would be devastated, Ellis saw it as an opportunity to pursue his original dream: a career in entertainment.Eric Andersson, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024
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Western North Carolina was devastated by extreme flooding after Hurricane Helene in late September, raising concerns about election access.Lauren Irwin, The Hill, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
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But by the end of the third quarter, Berkshire Hathaway smashed its previous cash record by selling another quarter of its stake in the tech company, or 100 million shares, bringing its total shares to 300 million, down from 400 million.Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2024
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The Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint kicked off Saturday’s nine Breeders’ Cup races with a smashing stretch duel and 5-horse blanket finish with longshot Soul of an Angel winning at 19/1 odds.Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Expectations were too high because of the staggered rollout of AI, along with China which wrecked everyone.Jim Cramer, CNBC, 1 Nov. 2024
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Ice Cube is checking himself so as not to wreck himself.Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 25 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Without breaking stride, Hunter blew past four more Utah defenders and hopped into the end zone, a broken play transformed into a work of art.Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 16 Nov. 2024
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Oldenburg’s ode to Mies van der Rohe’s signature pocket square, the 12-foot fiberglass Handkerchief, will blow toward Park Avenue, and inside, a giant cloth saw will hug the walls and floor.Morgan Meier, Curbed, 12 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near demolish
Cite this Entry
“Demolish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demolish. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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