torn down

verb

past participle 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 torn down There was a plan to rehab the Nortown and reopen it as a venue for Indian and Pakistani films, but in 2007 the building was torn down. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026 And not all old things need to be torn down for the sake of Charlotte’s growth. — Charlotte Observer, 16 Oct. 2026 Though the station itself was torn down in the late 1960s, the Caledonian hotel remained, and has been under Waldorf Astoria's ownership since 2012. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026 In recent years, protesters have torn down his statues and splattered others with red paint. — Peter C. Mancall, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026 In the aftermath, the terraces of English football grounds were torn down and replaced with seats. — Vanda Mayer, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2026 Walking through prewar Berlin, taking in its historic architecture, Susanna daydreams of her native New York, an ever-changing city where buildings are torn down and rebuilt in the blink of an eye. — Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026 And that still hasn’t prevented cliffs from eroding so much that teetering apartments had to be torn down. — Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026 Miller is referring to the original First National Bank building at Dearborn and Monroe, a contemporary of the Rector Building designed by Daniel Burnham and torn down in 1970. — Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torn down
  1. destroyed
  2. demolished
  3. ruined
  4. pulled down
  5. smashed
  6. wrecked
  7. shattered
  8. damaged
Verb
  • Firefighters battling a blaze that destroyed six homes in south Orange County can expect a bit of reprieve Saturday afternoon as Santa Ana winds begin to die down.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Its owners, a family of three, left for a cruise before the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel destroyed their property.
    — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of destroyed
Verb
  • That includes what else could get demolished or built, beyond the stadium and team headquarters.
    — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The island is the former home of a Renault factory, which was active for most of the 20th century and demolished in 2005.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of demolished
Verb
  • Janice was disgusted; Mary was emotionally devastated and financially ruined.
    — Ben Taub, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Totally ruined by introducing too many plot lines that were pointless or opened up and left alone without closure.
    — David Hookstead OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of ruined
Verb
  • Nik Bonitto stripped wideout Rashid Shaheed in scoring territory, Kris Abrams-Draine pulled down a fourth-quarter interception, and McMillian delivered the dagger in overtime.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The market is also being pulled down by continued weakness in semiconductor stocks, with the iShares Semiconductor ETF on pace for its seventh straight day of declines.
    — Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of pulled down
Verb
  • The storm battered the coast over the weekend with wind, rain and unusually large waves, which tore apart a historic boardwalk and smashed into coastal homes.
    — JAIMIE DING, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Waves tore apart a historic boardwalk and smashed against coastal homes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of smashed
Verb
  • Researchers believe the ship may have been traveling from the Levantine coast, which runs from Turkey in the north to Egypt in the south, to Troy or Crete when it was wrecked.
    — Jack Guy, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The story centers on an influencer whose life is wrecked by an online pile-on.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of wrecked
Verb
  • Multiple temperature records have been shattered, and an intense marine heat wave has been churning since last December — making our typical high tides even higher — El Niño notwithstanding.
    — Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Business damaged by gunfire A bullet shattered the window of Tikal Cocina Café during the shooting.
    — Janay Reece, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of shattered
Verb
  • The bottom of the walls was damaged; these surfaces are not smooth and easily cleanable.
    — NWA Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
  • But cars have been burned, trees damaged and people hurt in communities across the Palestinian territory, with some people calling this the most dangerous season yet.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of damaged

Browse Nearby Words

tornadoes
torn down
torn into
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

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