demolish
[dih-mol-ish]
- 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.
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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)
Synonyms
See more synonyms for demolish on Thesaurus.com1. level, wreck, bulldoze.
Synonym study
1. See destroy.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for demolish
Contemporary Examples
Eri Hayward is cheerful, even as she drops verbal bombs that demolish mainstream conceptions about being transgender.
It will stir things up, but it will not begin to demolish the group.
But if the Arab states mustered the will, they could demolish ISIS, as history has shown.
They need to demolish their homes and round them up, the way they do it to our children.
The sale has hit some snags, but the lease also gives El-Gamel the right to demolish the building.
Historical Examples
I'll certainly invent a Frenchman, and make him an author, and then demolish him.
Lord KilgobbinCharles Lever
He harangued the Indians, and exhorted them to demolish the fort.
How would it be, think you, if we were to demolish Nambanji?'
Mr. Sakari suggested that himself, and when I agreed with him he proceeded to demolish it.
TheftJack London
After denying your first depositions, you are trying to demolish your own father's evidence.
The FrontierMaurice LeBlanc
demolish
- to tear down or break up (buildings, etc)
- to destroy; put an end to (an argument, etc)
- facetious to eat upshe demolished the whole cake!
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Word Origin
C16: from French démolir, from Latin dēmōlīrī to throw down, destroy, from de- + mōlīrī to strive, toil, construct, from mōles mass, bulk
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for demolish
v.
1560s, from Middle French demoliss-, present participle stem of démolir "to destroy, tear down" (late 14c.), from Latin demoliri "tear down," from de- "down" (see de-) + moliri "build, construct," from moles (genitive molis) "massive structure" (see mole (n.3)). Related: Demolished; demolishing.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper