tear down

/ tɛə /

verb

1. (tr, adverb) to destroy or demolish

   to tear a wall down

   to tear down an argument

Idioms and Phrases

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

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

Example Sentences

With the Golden State sputtering through a housing shortage, tearing down some of our nostalgia to put up new homes could become more common.

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Wednesday's election descended into chaos as hundreds took to the streets of Dar es Salaam and other cities, tearing down her posters and attacking police and polling stations, leading to an internet shutdown and curfew.

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Few remember what former President Ronald Reagan did to address healthcare costs, but they remember his demand to tear down the Berlin Wall, the official said.

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It seems certain that, legally and constitutionally, the president could, if he wanted, tear down the whole executive mansion and replace it with a giant casino—and there’s certainly plenty of presidential precedent.

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Still, the proponents of tearing down the bachelor degree from its prominent role in American life offer few viable substitutes that can be applied broadly today, experts say.

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