as in wrecking
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1
as in destroying
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ruining
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 shattering
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of demolishing
Matthew Glowicki, The Courier-Journal, 28 Aug. 2025
Joey Garrison, USA Today, 1 May 2026
Mary Shepard Place — built in the 1940s as Bellevue Square in the Clay Arsenal neighborhood — would be redeveloped in two phases, demolishing a total of 127, low-income apartments and replacing them with 159.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2026
Trump began moving forward without congressional approval, including plans that involved demolishing the historic East Wing.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
The preservation group sued in December, a week after the White House finished demolishing the East Wing.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026
Despite the truce, both sides continue to strike each other, and Israeli forces have been occupying a buffer zone in Lebanon, demolishing some neighborhoods.
—Samy Magdy, Fortune, 27 Apr. 2026
Construction crews are making way for the new home of the Detroit City Football Club after demolishing the old Southwest Detroit Hospital.
—Jack Springgate, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
Over the next decade or so, many of these trees will be coming down — landing across roads, snapping power lines, crushing cars and demolishing roofs, racking up hundreds of millions of dollars in insured claims.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2026
And the city has further rules around demolishing older buildings, passed in late 2024.
—Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2026
Noun
In the filing, Omni Hotels outlined a five-year timeframe that would get the site fully designed, permitted and prepared for construction, noting construction would not start until at least five years after the demolishing of the buildings on site.
—Matthew Glowicki, The Courier-Journal, 28 Aug. 2025
Verb
Trump has overseen dramatic cosmetic changes on the White House grounds during his second term, including paving over the grassy line of the famous Rose Garden and demolishing the White House's East Wing to make way for a massive ballroom.
—Joey Garrison, USA Today, 1 May 2026
Mary Shepard Place — built in the 1940s as Bellevue Square in the Clay Arsenal neighborhood — would be redeveloped in two phases, demolishing a total of 127, low-income apartments and replacing them with 159.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2026
Trump began moving forward without congressional approval, including plans that involved demolishing the historic East Wing.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
The preservation group sued in December, a week after the White House finished demolishing the East Wing.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026
Despite the truce, both sides continue to strike each other, and Israeli forces have been occupying a buffer zone in Lebanon, demolishing some neighborhoods.
—Samy Magdy, Fortune, 27 Apr. 2026
Construction crews are making way for the new home of the Detroit City Football Club after demolishing the old Southwest Detroit Hospital.
—Jack Springgate, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
Over the next decade or so, many of these trees will be coming down — landing across roads, snapping power lines, crushing cars and demolishing roofs, racking up hundreds of millions of dollars in insured claims.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2026
And the city has further rules around demolishing older buildings, passed in late 2024.
—Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demolishing
Noun
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At least, there was a lot less wrecking.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
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The Ravens haven’t really had that game-wrecking pass rusher since Terrell Suggs was in his prime.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Some had been there so long that corrosion was destroying them.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
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This past offseason, discussion and speculation around Major League Baseball was that the Los Angeles Dodgers would be responsible for destroying the sport and the 2027 season.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Determining how the teen died took time, and after months of additional investigation, prosecutors announced charges against D4vd that allege her murder was a premeditated attempt to keep her from ruining his music career by exposing their underage relationship.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
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Additionally, wet windows can accumulate condensation overnight, potentially ruining your hard work.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In a race for the ages, Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds on Sunday, shattering the previous men’s world record by an astonishing 65 seconds.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
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The Kenyan runner won the London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds, shattering the previous men’s world record by 65 seconds.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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One chapter closes, another opens The destruction of several Russian Kamov Ka-52s using drones doesn’t signal the end of the attack helicopter by any means.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Apr. 2026
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The pace of destruction was terrifying.—
Stefano Pozzebon,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The bulk of people experiencing emergency levels of hunger live in Haiti’s northwest region, including Artibonite, which gangs have mercilessly attacked in recent years, razing communities and destroying farmland.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
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The Park Service also sought to recover $213,387 in costs and damages stemming from two incidents in which Dateline and its contractors allegedly performed unpermitted roadwork, razing sensitive land and destroying hundreds of plants, according to the correspondence obtained by The Times last year.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But as anyone who’s dropped a mug knows, ceramics are also brittle and prone to smashing.—
Caitlin Kennedy,
Scientific American,
25 Apr. 2026
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Police officers arrived at her Hollywood Hills home in Los Angeles and learned that the attackers had left the woman inside after allegedly smashing her jaw and choking her.—
Francie Ebert,
NBC news,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In addition, strong winds over desert areas could result in briefly lowered visibilities to well under a mile at times in blowing dust or blowing sand.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
25 Apr. 2026
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This kind of build-up is unusual because volatile elements like sodium, which can get exposed after an object is blasted with micrometeorites, are usually later depleted by solar winds blowing from the sun and the general influence of space.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demolishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demolishing. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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