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ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Demolish

/dᵻˈmɒl.ɪʃ/ · verb

Meaning

(literally) To destroy (buildings, etc.), especially in a planned or intentional fashion..

Definitions by Sense

  1. (literally) To destroy (buildings, etc.), especially in a planned or intentional fashion.
  2. (figuratively) To defeat, refute, discredit, or consume utterly (as a theory, belief or opponent).
  3. To devour; to eat up

Example Sentences

They demolished the old mill and put up four townhouses.
The station did not have a long life, as it was demolished between 1884 and 1888 to make room for a new and larger station which forms part of the present Liverpool Exchange Station.
The force of the explosion demolished one pair of piers and two spans of the bridge crashed down into the river on top of the barges.
At Hawick, nothing remains of the station, and the viaduct over the River Teviot is one of a number of bridges that were demolished or removed following closure.
The Captain folded his brow into a look of intense perplexity. 'You seem exceedingly spry for a man who demolished an entire bottle of brandy and better part of an ounce of shag in a single evening.' 'And very nice too,' said the tramp. 'Now as to breakfast?'
Andrew Johnson scored a hat-trick as Fulham demolished London rivals Queens Park Rangers to win their Premier League fixture of the season.
The table opposite me is occupied by a young couple with a table full of alcohol and snacks. In a role reversal, he is drinking Smirnoff Ice while she steadily demolishes a six-pack of lager!
“Thanks, Raj.” Frank was too hungry to worry about Raj’s gob gloop on the bar, and happily demolished it in seconds.

Synonyms for demolish

Antonyms for demolish

Related Words

Word Forms

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does demolish mean?

Demolish means (literally) To destroy (buildings, etc.), especially in a planned or intentional fashion..

What is a synonym for demolish?

Common synonyms include destroy.

What is the opposite of demolish?

The opposite depends on the specific sense.

How do you use demolish in a sentence?

They demolished the old mill and put up four townhouses.

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.