demolish
verb
de·mol·ish di-ˈmä-lish 
demolished; demolishing; demolishes
transitive verb
1
a
: tear down, raze
demolish a building
b
: to break to pieces : smash
His car was demolished in the accident.
2
a
: to do away with : destroy
a filibuster which would effectively demolish the issue 
Current Biography
Current Biography… a performance so awkward and apathetic it instantly appeared to demolish any chance of restoring her declining career … Dave Itzkoff
Dave Itzkoff b
: to strip of any pretense of merit or credence
demolished her debate opponents
demolish a stereotype
demolisher noun
demolishment
di-ˈmä-lish-mənt
noun 
Synonyms
- level
- pull down
- raze
- tear down
- unbuild
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
The old factory was demolished to make way for a new parking lot. Tons of explosives were used to demolish the building. The town hopes to restore the old theater rather than have it demolished. The car was demolished in the accident. They demolished the other team 51–7.
Recent Examples on the Web Milwaukee's former Northridge Mall remains unsecured and dangerous — even as its owner fights the city's efforts to demolish the massive building. Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2022 The plan is to demolish the one-story building and require any future buyer to extend Canterbury all the way across the McCartin property to connect with Woodycrest Drive. Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 29 July 2022 The Vestavia Hills City Council has scheduled a special meeting for Monday to vote on whether to approve the sale of the Days Inn hotel on Montgomery Highway to the city, with plans to demolish the building and sell the property to a developer. Howard Koplowitz | Hkoplowitz@al.com, al, 29 July 2022 Initially the museum had announced plans to demolish the former Salvation Army building and a neighboring apartment building, the Drake, and create surface parking lots in the near team. Arika Herron, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Apr. 2022 Milwaukee's plans to demolish the century-old Columbia Hospital building are still on hold after its historic designation won another city endorsement. Tom Daykin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 12 Apr. 2022 After Ukraine repelled a Russian thrust toward Kyiv in spring, Moscow’s forces captured some territory in its neighbor’s east by using artillery and airstrikes to demolish cities and then seize them. James Marson, WSJ, 29 Aug. 2022 Even though huge sections of East Hartford’s rundown Silver Lane Plaza are vacant, the small businesses that remain want to head off the town’s plan to acquire and demolish the buildings. Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 26 Aug. 2022 The 2023 Old Farmer’s Almanac says that Aug. 22 is a particularly good day to demolish things. Mark Athitakis, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2022 See More
Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2022 The plan is to demolish the one-story building and require any future buyer to extend Canterbury all the way across the McCartin property to connect with Woodycrest Drive. Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 29 July 2022 The Vestavia Hills City Council has scheduled a special meeting for Monday to vote on whether to approve the sale of the Days Inn hotel on Montgomery Highway to the city, with plans to demolish the building and sell the property to a developer. Howard Koplowitz | Hkoplowitz@al.com, al, 29 July 2022 Initially the museum had announced plans to demolish the former Salvation Army building and a neighboring apartment building, the Drake, and create surface parking lots in the near team. Arika Herron, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Apr. 2022 Milwaukee's plans to demolish the century-old Columbia Hospital building are still on hold after its historic designation won another city endorsement. Tom Daykin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 12 Apr. 2022 After Ukraine repelled a Russian thrust toward Kyiv in spring, Moscow’s forces captured some territory in its neighbor’s east by using artillery and airstrikes to demolish cities and then seize them. James Marson, WSJ, 29 Aug. 2022 Even though huge sections of East Hartford’s rundown Silver Lane Plaza are vacant, the small businesses that remain want to head off the town’s plan to acquire and demolish the buildings. Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 26 Aug. 2022 The 2023 Old Farmer’s Almanac says that Aug. 22 is a particularly good day to demolish things. Mark Athitakis, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Middle French demolir, extended stem demoliss- (with final conformed to earlier English verbs with the same ending, as nourish, perish), borrowed from Latin dēmōlīrī, dēmōlīre "to throw off, pull down, raze," from dē- de- + mōlīrī "to labor to bring about, strive, build, construct." probably derivative of mōlēs "large mass, massive structure, effort, exertion" — more at mole entry 4
First Known Use
1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Kids Definition
demolish
verb
de·mol·ish di-ˈmä-lish
demolished; demolishing
1
: to destroy by breaking apart
demolish a building
2
: to ruin completely : shatter
He demolished the speed record.
demolishes
verb
1
as in destroys
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- destroys
- razes
- ruins
- smashes
- tears down
- overturns
- obliterates
- wrecks
- flattens
- decimates
- pulls down
- dynamites
- finishes
- unbuilds
- levels
- abolishes
- eradicates
- annihilates
- devastates
- pulverizes
- ravages
- devours
- wastes
- dissolves
- unmakes
- wipes out
- extirpates
- crushes
- blows up
- scourges
- totals
- cracks up
- dashes
- does in
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- builds
- erects
- constructs
- raises
- restores
- rebuilds
- renews
- creates
- makes
- renovates
- manufactures
- fabricates
- forms
- forges
- shapes
- puts up
- fashions
2
as in shatters
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
- destroys
- shatters
- ruins
- devastates
- smashes
- wrecks
- overcomes
- damages
- annihilates
- decimates
- erodes
- wastes
- pulverizes
- razes
- extinguishes
- dismantles
- vaporizes
- cripples
- mars
- kills
- ravages
- desolates
- removes
- wracks
- defeats
- crushes
- subdues
- nukes
- tears down
- totals
- blasts
- breaks
- creams
- injures
- pulls down
- conquers
- does in
- clobbers
- mangles
- disintegrates
- thrashes
- mutilates
- impairs
- rubs out
- obliterates
- trounces
- disfigures
- eradicates
- wallops
- surmounts
- dissolves
- spoils
- deteriorates
- licks
- harms
- routs
- defaces
- bests
- disassembles
- whips
- vitiates
- masters
- dynamites
- undoes
- beats
- trims
- trashes
- exterminates
- slays
- assassinates
- slaughters
- expunges
- scours
- plunders
- tramples
- scotches
- overbears
- effaces
- liquidates
- executes
- unmakes
- drubs
- despoils
- skunks
- pillages
- overmatches
- vandalizes
- guts
- loots
- washes out
- blows up
- sacks
- murders
- wipes out
- dispatches
- takes down
- extirpates
- zaps
- blots out
- cuts down
- unbuilds
- massacres
- wins (against)
- triumphs (over)
- prevails (over)
- havocs
- butchers
- dilapidates
- kills off
- sweeps (away)
- takes out
- wears (away)
- fells
- stamps (out)
- snuffs (out)
- mows (down)
- roots (out)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- builds
- erects
- constructs
- raises
- creates
- repairs
- invents
- produces
- establishes
- makes
- doctors
- rears
- assembles
- manufactures
- fixes
- constitutes
- mends
- protects
- fabricates
- organizes
- forms
- forges
- reconditions
- shapes
- preserves
- founds
- restores
- revamps
- reconstructs
- sets up
- saves
- fathers
- frames
- fashions
- molds
- institutes
- conserves
- brings about
- rebuilds
- patches
- puts up
- renovates
- remodels
3
as in smashes
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
- shatters
- smashes
- destroys
- blows
- explodes
- pops
- bursts
- blasts
- detonates
- annihilates
- decimates
- ruins
- wrecks
- dynamites
- blows up
- fragments
- splinters
- discharges
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- collapses
- implodes