tearing down
11
4.2
- noun
:
derribo
- The city council approved the plans for the tearing down of the old stadium next year.
- tearing down buildings
- tearing down a house
- tearing down walls
You acknowledge that and you also see the value of tearing down the entire thing.
- You acknowledge that and you also see the value of tearing down the entire thing.
Examples
-
In 1912, in the village of Kake, Alaska, the year began with a silver spike being driven into a wooden plank of the newly built boardwalk and culminated with the tearing down and burning of the town's totem poles.
Academic text (2009) -
The local residents protested against the tearing down of the historic building in their neighborhood.
-
The tearing down of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War.
-
One by one, the older houses, usually no more than fifty years old, were bought up, torn down, and replaced by larger, more modern edifices.
Academic text (2004) -
I got a notice that they're tearing down my building, putting up a fancy parking lot.
-
Developers here are tearing down perfectly good buildings or acquiring empty lots to make room for what look like century-old factories.
Academic text (2004) -
Seneca Village existed from 1825 through 1857, when it was torn down due to Central Park construction.
Blog text (23) -
President Duffy joined members of the stake and community in tearing down sheetrock and cleaning up basements, garages, and entry-level floors.
Blog text (25) -
After many debates, the decision to proceed with the tearing down of the abandoned factory was finalized.
Synonyms
849
3.0
Severe damage that makes something no longer exist or cannot be fixed
72
4.2
The act of destroying a building or other structure on purpose
31
4.4
The act of tearing down a building to destroy it
14
4.4
The act of taking a machine or system apart
3
5.9
The act of taking a machine or building apart into separate parts
1
7.8
The act of completely destroying a building
1
5.5
Taking down a building so a new one can be built
1
5.6
The act of destroying a building so it lies flat on the ground
1
4.4
A complete tearing down of a building or other structure
The act of tearing down a building
Taking apart a building so parts can be reused
Antonyms
How Destructive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun 'tearing down' meaning demolition is directly derivable from 'tear' (to pull or rend apart) combined with 'down' (to bring down/fell): together they literally describe pulling something down, which matches demolishing a building. This compositional, causative motion pattern is common in English and parallels constructions in many other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
The noun tearing down comes from the image of workers tearing a wall down, like ripping a big sheet so pieces fall away until the whole building is gone. So, 'tearing down' now means 'completely destroying or removing a building'.