demolition

[dem-uh-lish-uhn, dee-muh-]

noun

1. an act or instance of demolishing.

2. the state of being demolished; destruction.

3. destruction or demolishment by explosives.

4. demolitions, explosives, especially as used in war.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or working with explosives.

   A demolition squad attempted to blow up the bridge before the enemy captured it.

2. of or relating to tearing down or demolishing.

   Demolition work had begun on the old building.

demolition

/ ˌdiː-, ˌdɛməˈlɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of demolishing or state of being demolished

2. military

   1. destruction by explosives

   2. ( as modifier )

      a demolition charge

Other Word Forms

• demolitionist noun
• nondemolition noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of demolition¹

1540–50; < Latin dēmōlītiōn- (stem of dēmōlītiō ), equivalent to dēmōlīt ( us ) (past participle of dēmōlīrī; demolish ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

England's swaggering performance, which followed a 5-0 demolition of Serbia in a crucial World Cup qualifier in September, was a promising sign as they gear up for next year's World Cup.

Read more on Barron's

Facing the demolition of its capital, it first agreed to a partial hostage deal that it had resisted for months.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“Even as demolitions and smaller, differentiated types of replacements and variations have thinned the ranks of the projects, there remain 886,000 public housing ‘units’ that are home to 1.6 million Americans,” he writes.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Though the kibbutz’s council said to go ahead with the demolitions, she appealed and was awaiting a new verdict.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Instead of demolition, which releases vast amounts of carbon and waste, a coalition of architects, engineers, building contractors and developers has effectively "upcycled" the original structure.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• annihilation 
• explosion