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

… a performance so awkward and apathetic it instantly appeared to demolish any chance of restoring her declining career …

—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

Examples of demolish in a Sentence

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

But in the weeks that followed, organizations such as COPS/Metro and the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center raised concerns that the project was being rushed without enough consideration for the people whose homes would be demolished. —Megan Stringer, Axios, 12 Sep. 2024

But Building 12, where most of the victims were killed, was closed off behind emergency tape with its windows covered for six years before it was demolished in July. —Nicole Chavez, CNN, 12 Sep. 2024

Citing repair costs of $2.6 million, the museum’s board voted in March to demolish Greenwood Pond: Double Site, and director Kelly Baum signed a demolition order. —Kirsten Swenson, ARTnews.com, 9 Sep. 2024

Plans are underway in New York to demolish the Elizabeth Street Garden to make way for affordable housing for the elderly — unless a save-the-park campaign by Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese and Patti Smith can change City Hall’s mind. —Benjamin Svetkey, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Sep. 2024

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

1560, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

demolish

verb

de·​mol·​ish di-ˈmäl-ish 

a

: tear down, raze

b

: to break to pieces : smash 2 : to do away with : put an end to

demolisher noun

demolishment

-ish-mənt 

noun