demolish
verb
de·mol·ish
di-ˈmä-lish 
demolished; demolishing; demolishes
1
2
a
: to do away with : destroy
a filibuster which would effectively demolish the issue—
Current Biography
Current Biography… a performance so awkward and apathetic it instantly appeared to demolish any chance of restoring her declining career …—Dave Itzkoff
Dave Itzkoff
demolisher
noun
Examples of demolish in a Sentence
The old factory was demolished to make way for a new parking lot.
Tons of explosives were used to demolish the building.
The town hopes to restore the old theater rather than have it demolished.
The car was demolished in the accident.
They demolished the other team 51–7.
Recent Examples on the Web
Purdy put his reporter’s hat back on and dug up that the 38 S. Fifth St. house — which would have sat in the plaza just south of the city council chambers — was demolished after an arson fire damaged it beyond repair.
—Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2025
In Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, residents said the Israeli military demolished more homes in the city, which has all come under Israeli control in the past days in what Israeli leaders said was an expansion of security zones in Gaza to put more pressure on Hamas to release remaining hostages.
—Nidal Al-Mughrabi, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2025
The site of the former Americana Motel and the Silver Moon Motel, which were demolished back in 2022, will start construction this spring for an affordable housing community.
—Michael Slaten, Oc Register, 15 Apr. 2025
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Building 38 at San Quentin State Prison was demolished to make room for the rehabilitation center.
—Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2025
In Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, residents said the Israeli military demolished more homes in the city, which has all come under Israeli control in the past days in what Israeli leaders said was an expansion of security zones in Gaza to put more pressure on Hamas to release remaining hostages.
—Nidal Al-Mughrabi, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2025
The site of the former Americana Motel and the Silver Moon Motel, which were demolished back in 2022, will start construction this spring for an affordable housing community.
—Michael Slaten, Oc Register, 15 Apr. 2025
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Building 38 at San Quentin State Prison was demolished to make room for the rehabilitation center.
—Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demolish
Cite this Entry
“Demolish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demolish. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
demolish
verb
de·mol·ish
di-ˈmäl-ish
demolisher
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share