raze

or rase

[ reyz ]

/ reɪz /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for raze on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), razed, raz·ing.

to tear down; demolish; level to the ground: to raze a row of old buildings.

to shave or scrape off.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!

Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between "it’s" and "its" in this crafty quiz!

Question 1 of 8

On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

it's

its

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of raze

1540–50; Middle English rasen<Middle French raser<*Vulgar Latin rāsāre to scrape, frequentative of Latin rādere to scrape

synonym study for raze

1. See destroy.

OTHER WORDS FROM raze

razer, nounun·razed, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH raze

raze , raise

Words nearby raze

rayon, rayonny, Rayside-Balfour, Raytown, raza, raze, razee, razoo, razor, razorback, razorbill auk

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use raze in a sentence

Experts say this year is on track to be as bad as 2020, when fires razed more than 19 million acres of the world’s largest tropical forest.
Fires in the Amazon are out of control. Again.|Benji Jones|August 27, 2021|Vox
In June, a normally temperate village in western Canada briefly became one of the hottest places on earth and before 90% of its buildings were razed by a wildfire.
How Deadly Flooding in Germany and Belgium Exposed Europe's Climate Change Hubris|Ciara Nugent|July 19, 2021|Time
She set fire to large swathes of land, razed villages and towns, and melted precious metals.
Badass Royal Women You Need to Know|Sean Culligan|July 1, 2021|Ozy
Apartment buildings were razed because, according to Israelis, some units were housing Palestinian weaponry.
Calls for Justice in the U.S. Create a Dilemma for Pro-Israel Policies|Philip Elliott|May 21, 2021|Time

But, at the same time, the house next door was recently bought by the city and razed because of flood risk.
The Climate Real Estate Bubble: Is the U.S. on the Verge of Another Financial Crisis?|Graphics by Emily Barone|April 19, 2021|Time
In 1999, Mayor Dennis Archer sent in his own team of bulldozers to raze the art, but the artist stayed put and rebuilt.
Who Is Burning Down Detroit’s World-Famous Street Art?|James Fassinger|March 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He I am informed sent a message to the Osage nation to raze the Kanses village entirely.
The Expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike, Volume II (of 3)|Elliott Coues
Here an awful blast swept the house, as if to raze it to its foundations.
My New Curate|P.A. Sheehan
En ez fur sellen' this place, war I wuz born'd en raze, I never spec' ter.
That Old-Time Child, Roberta|Sophie Fox Sea
"He would raze the gates of hades for her," was the prompt reply.
Old Broadbrim Into the Heart of Australia|Author of "Old Broadbrim"
His house has been broken into by the city-prefect and every corner of it searched; they say they mean to raze it to the ground.
Quintus Claudius, Volume 2 of 2|Ernst Eckstein

British Dictionary definitions for raze

raze

rase

/ (reɪz) /

verb (tr)

to demolish (a town, buildings, etc) completely; level (esp in the phrase raze to the ground)

to delete; erase

archaic to graze

Derived forms of raze

razer or raser, noun

Word Origin for raze

C16: from Old French raser from Latin rādere to scrape

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

raze

or rase

Origin of raze

synonym study for raze

OTHER WORDS FROM raze

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH raze

Words nearby raze

Words related to raze

How to use raze in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for raze

rase

Derived forms of raze

Word Origin for raze