raze

or rase

[ reyz ]

/ reɪz /

SEE MORE 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.

Nearby words

rayon, rayonny, rayside-balfour, raytown, raza, raze, razee, razoo, razor, razor blade, razor clam

Origin of raze

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

Related forms

raz·er, nounun·razed, adjective

Can be confused

raze raise

Synonym study

1. See destroy.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for raze

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
In Carlton the longing to do something violent suddenly outweighed his desire to raze the east end of the church.
Peccavi|E. W. Hornung
It contained a highly curious clock-work toy, and enough dynamite to raze St. Paul's to the ground.
The Astonishing History of Troy Town|Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
Chator looked very intensely at Michael, as if he expected he would offer to raze it to the ground immediately.
Sinister Street, vol. 2|Compton Mackenzie

Say, after the war, I'm going there, and I'm just going to raze that place to the ground.
Wounds in the rain|Stephen Crane
There was nothing to be done but to raze them to the ground.
The Life of Mohammad|Etienne Dinet

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

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