1
as in destroys
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in demolishes
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tears down
Verb
-
Producing traditional paper destroys trees and is resource-intensive, requiring up to 13 liters of water for every page made.—
Sandy Ong,
JSTOR Daily,
11 Sep. 2025 -
In those situations, the team typically takes the potentially explosive item to a remote area and destroys it, just to be safe, Putthoff said.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
When that happens, 67% of teens say their malfunctioning laptop ruins their entire day.—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
11 Sep. 2025
-
One mistake often ruins an entire load, sending recyclables straight to landfills.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
That pulls down the median sales price even if the price per square foot continues to steadily rise from about $127 in 2016 to $231 today.—
Brandon Kochkodin,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The shift change shatters my sleep like a robin’s egg crashing against pavement.—
Manuel Muñoz,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Most sitcoms that cast celebrities to play themselves go the Thompson route, crafting a character that completely shatters the person’s public image.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Deadly flooding devastates South Asia Almost 400 people have died in Pakistan after flash floods brought destruction throughout the country’s north.—
Semafor Staff,
semafor.com,
22 Aug. 2025
-
Illness devastates the novel’s humble, endearing protagonist, who bravely crosses class boundaries in her enthralling search for peace.—
Gabrielle Bellot,
Literary Hub,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The trend isn’t one-sided either, as clips have surfaced of brides being the ones to start the frosting fight, like in this TikTok video where a bride smashes a piece of cake on her groom’s face.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
-
In the United Kingdom, as fans wait for something new from the global pop star, one of her earlier career smashes returns to the top 40 and becomes a bestseller again.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This interaction damages skin cells and can trigger irritation, redness, stinging or burning.—
Leslie Baumann,
Miami Herald,
4 Sep. 2025
-
If the power outage is specific to your home, say a lightning strike damages your electrical system, things change.—
Kristine Gill,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The new CoFe-2DSA catalyst overcomes these limits through a unique structure.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Saginaw’s surge overcomes Boswell The Pioneers of Boswell dominated play in the opening half, building a 21-0 lead that looked rock solid behind a persistent defense and an offense balanced with good running and passing.—
Pat Wheeler,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Sep. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Tears down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tears%20down. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share