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.
-
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
-
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
-
have been demolishingperfect progressive
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has been demolishingperfect progressive
Past
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demolishedsimple
-
had demolishedperfect
-
was demolishingprogressive
-
were demolishingprogressive
-
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 board has the responsibility to maintain the building that houses the center, but not to demolish the building and erect a new one.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
The attorney “had sort of written the playbook about how to demolish any case against these men,” said O’Brien, author of the recently published “Errol Flynn: The True Story of Australia’s Hollywood Icon.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
But now there are plans to demolish it to build flats and offices.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 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
Agents would tear off each key after using it and then burn or otherwise demolish it.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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
In this breezy but thought-provoking book, Lenz demolishes the standard view that divorce is a tragedy, especially for women.
From Salon ● Feb. 20, 2024
Woo demolishes the cinnamon dip with one sweeping lick.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
I lived in Santa Monica for a while, then after the earthquake my place was demolished.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Carol Ann’s house, like the sisters’, has been demolished.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
But Warrington snuck past Leeds Rhinos, and Wakefield Trinity then stunned the whole of rugby league as they demolished Wigan on the Warriors' own patch to make it to Old Trafford.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
England's front four will share praise for the way in which they demolished the Croatian backline.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
As we waited for an answer all I could think of was Conchetta’s ripped dress—the one Helen Kazinski had demolished.
From "The Pigman" by Paul Zindel
Others include the construction of a massive White House ballroom that required demolishing the entire historic East Wing, overhauling the Kennedy Center arts venue and plans for an immense triumphal arch.
From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026
In 2024, crews finished demolishing four dams on the Klamath River, completing the largest dam removal effort in U.S. history.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Venezuelan authorities on Thursday began demolishing buildings in the state of La Guaira, the region worst hit by last month's twin earthquakes, AFP observed.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
He believes it would even be possible to build on top of them without demolishing the entire bunker.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 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
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