tore down

verb

past tense of tear down
1
as in destroyed
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of vandals tore down the wooden fence blocking the entrance to the beach

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in demolished
to destroy (as a building) completely by knocking down or breaking to pieces the new owners apparently bought the house just to tear it down and build a lavish mansion in its place

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of tore down Thousands of fans in a crowd of 48,238 stormed the field and tore down both goalposts to celebrate the end of a four-game KU losing streak. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2026 In 2023, the Claramontes tore down the house, despite protests from civic leaders who sought to maintain the area’s heritage. — Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 14 Aug. 2026 Department of Homeland Security contractors tore down the first of the three trees on July 27. — Michael Loria, USA Today, 30 July 2026 The French revolutionaries tore down almost all of society’s old structures—including the calendar, the churches, and the school system. — David Brooks, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026 Piepenbrink encouraged people to visit the Crete Township Community Center on Cottage Grove Avenue and Monee Road to view photos from a 1952 fire that tore down the Balmoral Park grandstand during renovations. — Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2026 The president's team also repaired fountains throughout the city, tore down the White House's East Wing to make way for a ballroom, attempted to close the Kennedy Center for renovations, and drew up plans for a gigantic triumphal arch across the river from the capital in Virginia. — Joe Walsh, CBS News, 19 June 2026 The properties sit across a cove from where Michael Jordan once tore down his own mansion (presumably to build a bigger one — as one does). — Charlotte Observer, 17 June 2026 Protesters tore down and disabled enforcement cameras and painted the policy as a civil liberties issue. — Justin Worland, Time, 3 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tore down
  1. destroyed
  2. demolished
  3. ruined
  4. pulled down
  5. shattered
  6. wrecked
  7. devastated
  8. smashed
Verb
  • Climate change was considered a factor in the December 2021 wildfire that destroyed Somauroo's home, after the county's suit was originally filed.
    — LINDSAY WHITEHURST, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Climate change was considered a factor in the 2021 Marshall Fire that destroyed Somauroo’s home, after the county's suit was originally filed.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of destroyed
Verb
  • The old airport must be demolished within 12 months under the development agreement with the City of Burbank.
    — Annita Katee, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Pulte’s application calls for the existing shopping center to be demolished, paving the way for construction of three six-story condominium buildings, two single-story commercial structures and a riverwalk.
    — Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of demolished
Verb
  • On Monday, workers hauled out a 200-pound piece of equipment that was ruined by the saltwater and sand carried in on the high tides.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The idea for her top was loosely based on an old vintage shirt that Satenstein accidentally threw into the dryer and ruined.
    — Irene Kim, Vogue, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of ruined
Verb
  • No other receiver on Minnesota’s 53-man roster — Tai Felton, Jeshaun Jones and Myles Price — has pulled down a reception in the first three games.
    — Omar Kelly October 1, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The GoFundMe gained national attention and raised nearly $290,000 before it was pulled down.
    — David K. Li, NBC news, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of pulled down
Verb
  • The police tear gas grenade shattered the 14-year-old’s jaw and many of his teeth.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Natasha Gregson Wagner was just 11 years old when an ordinary childhood sleepover turned into a moment that shattered her world.
    — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of shattered
Verb
  • The Nantucket Current reported that the wreck is likely part of a 19th-century wooden ship that wrecked near Miacomet Beach in 1884.
    — Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The plant’s interior pot has drainage holes, hidden in the cachepot, so your plant won’t drown and your hardwoods won’t get wrecked.
    — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of wrecked
Verb
  • Healthcare workers who’d turned up for the event described patients choosing between affording medication or food, or how they themselves had been financially devastated by a medical crisis.
    — Kate Wells, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Ji-hye’s punishment Ji-hye is devastated at the arrest of her son, and furiously tries to confess to the crime herself.
    — Kayti Burt, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of devastated
Verb
  • Space debris is generated not only by kinetic space weapons but also when satellites collide and get smashed into countless fragments and smaller particles that travel at high velocity and are capable of destroying or damaging more spacecraft.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The thief reportedly smashed a window near the rear of the museum to gain entry.
    — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of smashed

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Cite this Entry

“Tore down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tore%20down. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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