- Demolishing
- Demolish De*mol"ish, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Demolished}; p. pr.
& vb. n. {Demolishing}.] [F. d['e]molir, fr. L. demoliri, p.
p. demolitus; de- + moliri to set a thing in motion, to work,
construct, from moles a huge mass or structure. See {Mole} a
mound, and {Finish}.]
To throw or pull down; to raze; to destroy the fabric of; to
pull to pieces; to ruin; as, to demolish an edifice, or a
wall.
[1913 Webster]
I expected the fabric of my book would long since have been demolished, and laid even with the ground. --Tillotson.
Syn: To {Demolish}, {Overturn}, {Destroy}, {Dismantle}, {Raze}. That is overturned or overthrown which had stood upright; that is destroyed whose component parts are scattered; that is demolished which had formed a mass or structure; that is dismantled which is stripped of its covering, as a vessel of its sails, or a fortress of its bastions, etc.; that is razed which is brought down smooth, and level to the ground. An ancient pillar is overturned or overthrown as the result of decay; a city is destroyed by an invasion of its enemies; a monument, the walls of a castle, a church, or any structure, real or imaginary, may be demolished; a fortress may be dismantled from motives of prudence, in order to render it defenseless; a city may be razed by way of punishment, and its ruins become a memorial of vengeance. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.