tear down

British  

/ tɛə /

verb

1. (tr, adverb) to destroy or demolish

   to tear a wall down

   to tear down an argument

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tear down Idioms  

1. Demolish, take apart, as in They tore down the old tenements , or He loved to tear down old engines . [Early 1600s]

2. Vilify or discredit, as in He's always tearing down someone or other . [First half of 1900s]

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Example Sentences

Chesterton famously warned, it is folly to tear down a fence before discovering why it was built.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Instead of tearing down that relationship, we need to build them up so the student knows that we care and they understand that there is a place for them.”

From Los Angeles Times

Once examining his role in tearing down his community, he becomes conflicted and starts to become the change he needs before going down the wrong path.

From Salon

The executive implemented “The Process,” which embraced tearing down Philadelphia’s roster in an attempt to lose as many games as possible to shore up better draft positioning.

From Washington Times

“To tear down that wall is the first step in removing a physical sign every single day of what our students and larger community had to go through — had to endure from an all-White neighborhood.”

From Washington Post