demolish
gb/dɪmˈɑlɪʃ/ us/dɪmˈɑlɪʃ/
B2
Inglês
Acepções
0 acepção
Verbo
B2
action
1
tear down a building
To completely destroy a building and remove it.
Padrão de uso:
demolish [a building/structure]
Erro comum:
Don’t confuse with demolish = 'damage a little'; it usually means destroy completely.
Sinônimos
tear down (Common and neutral, often for buildings.)
|
knock down (More informal; often for a house or wall.)
|
raze (More formal; suggests total destruction.)
|
flatten (Emphasizes reducing something to the ground.)
Antônimos
build (Do the opposite by creating a structure.)
|
construct (More formal/technical than build.)
|
restore (Repair and return a building to a former condition.)
Colocações
demolish a building
|demolish a house
|demolish a bridge
|demolish a wall
|demolish a stadium
|demolish an old factory
|be demolished
|plan to demolish
|demolish and rebuild
|demolish with explosives
Temas
construction
|housing
|cities
Exemplos
- The city plans to demolish the old theater and build apartments on the site.
- They had to demolish the damaged bridge after the flood.
- The warehouse was demolished to make room for a new highway.
Exemplos para estudantes
- They will demolish the old house.
- The building was demolished last year.
Verbo
informal
C1
action
2
defeat someone very easily
To win against someone by a lot.
Padrão de uso:
demolish [an opponent/team]
Erro comum:
This meaning is metaphorical; it does not involve physical destruction.
Sinônimos
crush (Very common; emphasizes dominant victory.)
|
trounce (Strong, slightly more formal than crush.)
|
thrash (Informal; common in British English for sports.)
|
rout (Often used for decisive sports or military defeats.)
Antônimos
lose to (Be defeated by the other side.)
|
edge (Win only by a small amount.)
Colocações
demolish the opposition
|demolish a rival
|demolish a team
|demolish an opponent
|demolish them 5–0
|get demolished
|be demolished by
|demolish in the final
|demolish in a debate
|demolish at home
Temas
sports
|competition
Exemplos
- Our team demolished their rivals 6–1.
- She demolished the field in the final round and won easily.
- They got demolished in the second half.
Exemplos para estudantes
- We demolished the other team.
- They were demolished 4–0.
Verbo
C1
action
3
prove an argument is wrong
To show clearly that an idea is wrong.
Padrão de uso:
demolish [an argument/claim/theory/case]
Erro comum:
Demolish here means 'refute strongly,' not just 'disagree.'
Sinônimos
refute (Direct and formal; focused on proving wrong.)
|
debunk (Common for exposing false beliefs or claims.)
|
dismantle (Metaphorical; suggests taking an argument apart piece by piece.)
|
disprove (Often used for showing something is not true with evidence.)
Antônimos
support (Provide reasons or evidence in favor of something.)
|
substantiate (Prove that a claim is true or valid.)
Colocações
demolish an argument
|demolish a claim
|demolish a theory
|demolish a myth
|demolish a case
|demolish the evidence
|demolish criticism
|easily demolish
|completely demolish
|demolish in debate
Temas
education
|media
|debate
Exemplos
- The report demolished the claim that the product was safe.
- In the interview, she calmly demolished his argument with facts.
- New data has demolished the theory that the disease was seasonal.
Exemplos para estudantes
- The scientist demolished the old idea.
- Facts demolished his claim.
Verbo
informal
B2
action
4
eat something very quickly
To eat a lot very fast.
Padrão de uso:
demolish [food/meal]
Erro comum:
This is informal and usually about eating quickly, not just finishing food.
Sinônimos
devour (Common; strong sense of eating eagerly.)
|
wolf down (Informal; emphasizes speed.)
|
scarf down (Very informal; emphasizes speed, often American English.)
|
polish off (Informal; emphasizes finishing completely.)
Antônimos
nibble (Eat in small bites, slowly.)
|
pick at (Eat very little, without appetite.)
Colocações
demolish a pizza
|demolish a burger
|demolish a plate of food
|demolish dinner
|demolish a sandwich
|demolish a whole cake
|demolish a big breakfast
|demolish a meal
|demolish snacks
|demolish a bowl of pasta
Temas
food
|daily_life
Exemplos
- He demolished two slices of pizza before anyone else sat down.
- After the hike, we demolished a huge lunch.
- The kids demolished the cookies in minutes.
Exemplos para estudantes
- I demolished my sandwich.
- She demolished the pizza.
Gramática
Forma no dicionário
demolish
AFI
GB/dɪmˈɑlɪʃ/
US/dɪmˈɑlɪʃ/
Sílabas e tonicidade
de - mol - ish (3 sílabas)
Stress on 2nd syllable (mol)
Formas da palavra
Verb
- Base: demolish
- 3rd Person Singular: demolishes
- Present Participle: demolishing
- Past: demolished
Família de palavras
Forms
demolishes
verb
demolishing
verb
demolished
verb
Core family
demolition
noun B2
Related words
demolisher
noun
Expressões
demolish and rebuild
1/dɪmˈɑlɪʃ ˈænd ɹibˈɪld/
fixed phrase
tear down and build again
To destroy an old building and build a new one.
Exemplos
- They decided to demolish and rebuild the house rather than renovate it.
- The developer will demolish and rebuild the entire complex in phases.
demolish to the ground
1/dɪmˈɑlɪʃ tə ðə ɡɹˈaʊnd/
fixed phrase
destroy completely to nothing
To destroy a building completely.
Exemplos
- The old hotel was demolished to the ground in a single afternoon.
- They demolished the unsafe structure to the ground after the earthquake.