demolish
Americanverb (used with object)
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demolishes,
present (3rd person singular)
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demolished,
past participle, past
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demolishing
present participle
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to destroy or ruin (a building or other structure), especially on purpose; tear down; raze.
-
to put an end to; destroy; explode.
The results of his research demolished many theories.
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to lay waste to; ruin utterly.
The fire demolished the area.
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Informal. to devour completely.
We simply demolished that turkey.
verb
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to tear down or break up (buildings, etc)
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to destroy; put an end to (an argument, etc)
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facetious to eat up
she demolished the whole cake!
Synonym Usage
See destroy.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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demolishsimple
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demolishessimple
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have demolishedperfect
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has demolishedperfect
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am demolishingprogressive
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are demolishingprogressive
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is demolishingprogressive
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have been demolishingperfect progressive
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has been demolishingperfect progressive
Past
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demolishedsimple
-
had demolishedperfect
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was demolishingprogressive
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were demolishingprogressive
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had been demolishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of demolish
1560–70; < Middle French démoliss-, stem of démolir < Latin dēmōlīrī to destroy, equivalent to dē- de- + mōlīrī to set in motion, struggle ( mōl ( ēs ) mass, bulk + -īrī infinitive suffix)
Explanation
Demolish means “completely destroy,” as a wrecking ball might demolish a building, or as hanging out with one’s parents might, supposedly, demolish a teenager’s reputation. In casual speech, demolish can also mean “devour,” as a group of hungry teenagers might demolish a pizza. The noun form of demolish is demolition, which often implies destruction by means of explosives. Demolish combines the prefix de-, which can mean “undo,” with the Latin verb moliri, meaning “to build" — which makes sense if you are thinking of 'undoing a building' with explosives!
Vocabulary lists containing demolish
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The only option to build the facility was to demolish the Trojans’ longtime baseball field and displace the program for multiple seasons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
"How can they be looking to demolish everything without knowing if people are still under there?" she said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
Among her concerns: that the city would demolish the houses before securing a developer and without a financial plan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
Juneau, Alaska, plans to demolish seven historic homes on Telephone Hill to build up to 155 new housing units, addressing a housing shortage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
"Watch that temper, that's discipline, too. Learn to demolish your brotherly opponents with ideas, with polemic skill. The other is for our enemies. Save it for them. And go get some rest."
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
But “Influencers” both dwells in and demolishes an online, text-happy, selfie-saturated world, one that thrives on misinformation and FOMO-mongering and drives CW more than a little crazy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 9, 2025
"If the government demolishes our houses, at least give us a solution. Tell us where to go. We don't know where to go," she said.
From BBC ● May 3, 2024
Tyler Locklear demolishes a baseball that was easily the hardest-hit in live BP today, landing beyond the white trucks over the left-field wall.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 22, 2024
One of the pleasures of “Eileen,” a sleek and unnerving adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh’s 2015 novel, is how singlehandedly it demolishes Jim’s assumption.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2023
Woo demolishes the cinnamon dip with one sweeping lick.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
England again demolished the dismal Pakistan batting to move on course for a 3-0 clean sweep on the opening day of the third Test at Edgbaston.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
The administration has also warned in a court filing the storied arts venue may have to be demolished if courts block the president's plans to overhaul the landmark.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
Law demolished the arguments of the miasmists, marshaling data to show that local eruptions of equine flu were unrelated to temperature, elevation, soil conditions, changes in weather or any of the other widely touted causes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
The administration demolished the old East Wing last year and began replacing it with a new structure that includes an underground military installation and an aboveground ballroom.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026
I pace along the sidewalk, away from the demolished school.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
The cost of Gary, Ind.’s blight elimination campaign, which includes demolishing part of the downtown, securing investment from local employers and resurrecting dormant neighborhoods.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
“We’re encouraging people to spread out and support independent businesses rather than all going to one place and demolishing the kitchen.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2026
But they dreaded demolishing the 800-square-foot cabin because it held such strong family memories.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
Trump has embarked on several other major renovations in Washington, including demolishing the East Wing of the White House, where he aims to build a huge ballroom.
From Barron's ● Apr. 25, 2026
He slurped and licked and carried on, demolishing the entire bowl and looking up for more.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
