raze

verb

ˈrāz 

razed; razing

transitive verb

1

: to destroy to the ground : demolish

raze an old building

2

a

: to scrape, cut, or shave off

b

archaic : erase

razer noun

Synonyms

• annihilate
• cream
• decimate
• demolish
• desolate
• destroy
• devastate
• do in
• extinguish
• nuke
• pull down
• pulverize
• rub out
• ruin
• shatter
• smash
• tear down
• total
• vaporize
• waste
• wrack
• wreck

Examples of raze in a Sentence

an entire city block razed by a terrible fire

the developer razed the old school building and built a high-rise condominium complex

Recent Examples on the Web

The school has since been razed, but the construction disturbed the soil beneath it. —Michael Luo, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025

There have been concerns over the health of the shores off Malibu after January's wildfires that razed the nearby Pacific Palisades, a community tucked on the western coast of Los Angeles, as well as the mountains to the east in Pasadena and Altadena. —Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 24 Feb. 2025

Capitals were pillaged, towns were razed, and friendships were irreparably fractured. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 17 Feb. 2025

The 39-story Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino was finally razed in 2021, leaving a pile of rubble that has yet to be rebuilt. —Herald Readers, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of rase

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for raze

• baize
• bays
• blase
• blaze
• braes
• braze
• chaise
• claes
• clays
• craze
• dais
• days

Kids Definition

raze

verb

ˈrāz 

razed; razing

: to destroy completely by knocking down or breaking to pieces : demolish

razed the building