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
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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
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
Dietmar Arnold, chairman of the Berlin Underworlds Association, told the BBC it would be "absolute madness" to demolish the bunker.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
Heavy artillery, moved to the front by rail and tractor and set up on reinforced beds, could demolish targets more than twenty-five miles away.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
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
While robotics have advanced, and AI demolishes service industries, the idea of a “lights out” factory — meaning there are no human workers — is not quite there yet.
From Salon ● Dec. 25, 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
I lived in Santa Monica for a while, then after the earthquake my place was demolished.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
A prison compound in Indonesia has been demolished after public outcry following the discovery of luxury apartments within the penitentiary.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Ms. Margolles purchased a home in the middle of this and demolished it, here reconstructing the rubble into a rectangular minimalist monument that stretches across a large gallery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Sepulveda said the softball program also is being looked at because of the addition of a new fence that was not authorized and is being demolished.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
“I suspect that you have effectively demolished the small car that someone innocently parked behind this bus. You had better succeed in getting out of this spot before its owner happens along.”
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
The expansion would mean demolishing hundreds of homes, diverting rivers, and rerouting the M25 motorway between junctions 14 and 15 through a tunnel under the new runway.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
Of the options for what to do with it once bought, demolishing the site was out of the question for historians.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 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
Sabastian Sawe wasn’t the only winner Sunday when he became the first person to run a marathon in under two hours in a legal race, demolishing the world record at the London Marathon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2026
She's obviously enjoying demolishing Shanti's cousin in front of everybody.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
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.
