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
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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
-
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 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
In one seaside community, graffiti outside a collapsed building asked authorities not to demolish it until the families could recover nine bodies buried under the rubble.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 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
The inspector ordered her to cease using the building as a dwelling, remove the unauthorised structure and demolish the "unlawful extension" to the barn.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
It landed with a crash and started thwacking about with such thunder that I was afraid it would demolish the boat.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
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
Additionally, if a developer demolishes housing to make way for a warehouse, the bill will require two new units of affordable housing for each unit that is destroyed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2024
"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
Woo demolishes the cinnamon dip with one sweeping lick.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Liber said at least 25 villages will be demolished to make way for it.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
The Sports Arena was ultimately demolished for BMO Stadium, and the proposed museum site shifted to surface parking lots elsewhere in Exposition Park.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 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
Steps led down to the circular remains of a temple of Ehécatl-Quetzelcóatl, Aztec god of the wind, discovered with human sacrifice remains in 2014 when an old supermarket was demolished.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Ivy’s favorite pizza place, Vesuvio’s, was demolished, only one brick wall still standing at the corner of Second and Main Streets.
From "Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World" by Ashley Herring Blake
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
The design for the embassy by David Chipperfield Architects involves restoring and partially demolishing and extending existing the historic buildings on the bank of the Thames.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
He believes it would even be possible to build on top of them without demolishing the entire bunker.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 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
Seabiscuit buried the field, demolishing the track record by 1% seconds.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
