demolish
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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.
-
Informal. to devour completely.
We simply demolished that turkey.
verb
-
to tear down or break up (buildings, etc)
-
to destroy; put an end to (an argument, etc)
-
facetious to eat up
she demolished the whole cake!
Related Words
See destroy.
Other Word Forms
- demolisher noun
- demolishment noun
- half-demolished adjective
- undemolished adjective
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)
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.
The straightforward solution, after demolishing the adjoining building, would have been to extend the facade to the south.
Raymond Barlow, from the council's building standards team, told BBC Scotland News that it was not possible to demolish the facade with a machine as it would cause an uncontrolled collapse.
From BBC
But a subsequent Nature review demolished that claim: The original study inflated trends by clustering fire hot spots and measuring their “radiative power” as intensity.
The cub demolished it in its powerful jaws, then curled up and went instantly to sleep: a gently heaving ball of hot grey fur.
From Literature
The cafeteria in the adjacent building, located between the adult and youth sections, has been demolished to make way for a classroom.
From Barron's
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.
