to demolish

Examples

• All

• The team was determined to demolish their rivals, proving they were the best in the league.

• She's the one I demolished in poker night.

  What Men Want (2019)

• We're gonna demolish you this time.

  The Harrad Experiment (1973)

• I heard you would literally just demolish kids from the other team.

  Santagato Studios

• "I'm going to demolish you," he says.

  Academic text (1999)

• Yeah, well, Wildman could just go in and demolish anyone.

  True Geordie

• They'll be demolished in no time.

  5150 (2016)

• Bots just demolished us, and I lost by one point to a Super Hot developer.

• She didn't just demolish the the prosecution's main witness, she showed him to be an outright liar.

• As he comes off the ropes, PK throws him an eight-punch combination, demolishing his opponent.

  Fiction book (1992)

Synonyms

D

to defeat

vsto demolish

932 2.1

To beat someone in a game, fight, or contest

is stronger, adding thoroughness and public humiliation to victory

D

to destroy

vsto demolish

• Informal

557 1.7

Beat someone completely in a contest or game

means thorough and humiliating victory in the same way

D

to devastate

vsto demolish

221 4.9

To destroy something greatly or make people feel deeply shocked and sad

specifies a humiliating personal defeat rather than general ruin

V

to vanquish

vsto demolish

• Formal

109 7.2

Beat someone or something completely in a conflict

adds a clear sense of humiliation to that complete defeat

S

to smash

vsto demolish

72 5.1

To make someone's hopes, confidence, or plans fail completely

is focused more on humiliation in the competitive sense

A

to annihilate

vsto demolish

• NSFW

63 7.5

To destroy completely, often killing many people

focuses instead on personal and humiliating defeat rather than mere destruction

K

to knock out

vsto demolish

46 3.4

To remove someone or something from a competition by defeating them

focuses more on humiliating and thorough defeat than simple elimination

O

to overwhelm

vsto demolish

42 4.0

Defeat someone or something completely using greater force

is more about humiliating the opponent beyond mere overpowering

P

to pulverize

vsto demolish

• US

15 7.6

To destroy something completely so nothing is left

means defeating a person thoroughly while also humiliating them

T

to trounce

vsto demolish

14 7.5

To beat an opponent by a large amount in a game or contest

emphasizes the added sense of public humiliation

W

to wipe the floor with

vsto demolish

• Informal

8 7.5

To beat someone completely in a game or contest

focuses on thorough humiliation rather than just decisive winning

C

to clobber

vsto demolish

• Informal

8 7.7

To beat someone completely in a game or fight

places more weight on causing humiliation as well as defeat

T

to thrash

vsto demolish

6 4.5

Beat someone completely in a game or contest

adds a stronger element of humiliation to that thorough win

S

to shellack

vsto demolish

• Informal

3 8.5

To beat someone very badly in a game or match

adds the idea of personal humiliation to that domination

D

to drub

vsto demolish

1 8.8

To beat someone badly in a game or fight

is similar but highlights humiliating effect more strongly

S

to smackdown

vsto demolish

• Slang

8.4

To defeat someone completely in a contest or argument

stresses thorough humiliation as the main outcome

C

to clean someone's clock

vsto demolish

• Informal

9.3

Beat someone badly in a game or fight

adds the idea of humiliating the loser as well as winning

M

to murderize the competition

vsto demolish

• NSFW

9.9

To beat other teams or companies by a lot

adds personal humiliation to the idea of overwhelming victory

How Decisive

to annihilate

• NSFW

63 7.5

rout

12 7.2

to demolish

8 3.7

to trounce

14 7.5

to defeat

932 2.1

to beat

∞ 1.4

Surface Forms

Etymology