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View synonyms for

demolish

[dih-mol-ish]

verb (used with object)

  1. to destroy or ruin (a building or other structure), especially on purpose; tear down; raze.

    Synonyms: , ,
  2. to put an end to; destroy; explode.

    The results of his research demolished many theories.

  3. to lay waste to; ruin utterly.

    The fire demolished the area.

  4. Informal.to devour completely.

    We simply demolished that turkey.



demolish

/ ɪˈɒɪʃ /

verb

  1. to tear down or break up (buildings, etc)

  2. to destroy; put an end to (an argument, etc)

  3. facetiousto eat up

    she demolished the whole cake!

“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
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Other Word Forms

  • demolisher noun
  • demolishment noun
  • half-demolished adjective
  • undemolished adjective
  • ˈDZ noun
  • ˈDZ󳾱Գ noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of demolish1

1560–70; < Middle French éDZ-, stem of éDZ < Latin ŧōīī to destroy, equivalent to ŧ- de- + ōīī to set in motion, struggle ( ō ( ŧ ) mass, bulk + -īī infinitive suffix)
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Word History and Origins

Origin of demolish1

C16: from French éDZ, from Latin ŧōīī to throw down, destroy, from de- + ōīī to strive, toil, construct, from ōes mass, bulk
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Synonym Study

See destroy.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The government, in partnership with international organisations, is working on a new sewage system, but its implementation may require demolishing existing buildings - a controversial move that could displace residents and businesses.

From

"No serious city builds a modern future by demolishing its historical centres and cultural monuments," says Estela Radonjic Zivkov, the former deputy director of Serbia's Republic Institute for the Protection of Monuments.

From

People living in nearby Harmondsworth told the BBC earlier this year that if the expansion plans went ahead, "three-quarters of the village would be demolished" and it would no longer be a "viable community".

From

The ceremony was held at the Wembley Conference Centre, which was demolished in 2006 and turned into flats.

From

She cites the Social Democrats' "parallel societies" law, which allows the state to sell off or demolish apartment blocks in troubled areas where at least half of residents have a "non-Western" background.

From

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