WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
de•mol•ish /dɪˈmɑlɪʃ/USA pronunciation
v. [ ~ + obj]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to destroy or tear down (a building):They are going to demolish the old apartment building where I grew up.
- to put an end to;
destroy:Those arguments will demolish anything his lawyer has to say.
de•mol•ish
(di mol′ish),USA pronunciation v.t.
de•mol′ish•er, n.
de•mol′ish•ment, n.
- to destroy or ruin (a building or other structure), esp. on purpose;
tear down;
raze. - to put an end to;
destroy;
explode:The results of his research demolished many theories. - to lay waste to;
ruin utterly:The fire demolished the area. - Informal Termsto devour completely:We simply demolished that turkey.
- Latin dēmōlīrī to destroy, equivalent. to dē- de- + mōlīrī to set in motion, struggle (mōl(ēs) mass, bulk + -īrī infinitive suffix)
- Middle French démoliss-, stem of démolir
- 1560–70
de•mol′ish•ment, n.
- 1. level, wreck, bulldoze. See destroy.
'demolishment' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):