tear down
Britishverb
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Demolish, take apart, as in They tore down the old tenements , or He loved to tear down old engines . [Early 1600s]
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Vilify or discredit, as in He's always tearing down someone or other . [First half of 1900s]
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.
He threatened to tear down the venue after a judge ruled this week that his name cannot be added onto the building's exterior.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
During three seasons as the Rams’ offensive coordinator, Mike LaFleur said McVay established strong foundations but also used his tireless energy to encourage assistants to tear down tried-and-true concepts and build them back, sparking innovation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
The US National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a lawsuit to stop the construction, saying "no president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever".
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
We saw the bulldozers tear down the East Wing of the White House, the many renderings of what the new structure is going to look like.
From Slate ● May 7, 2026
He thinks only of returning to King's Landing in the fullness of his power, to tear down his enemies and claim what is rightfully his.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
