Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

demolish

/dɪˈmɒl.ɪʃ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.18 in modern English

Syllables: de-mol-ish
IPA: /dɪˈmɒl.ɪʃ/

14

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To destroy (buildings, etc.), especially in a planned or intentional fashion.

Transitive verb

verb

To defeat, refute, discredit, or consume utterly (as a theory, belief or opponent).

Transitive verb

verb

To devour; to eat up

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"They demolished the old mill and put up four townhouses."
"The station did not have a long life, as it was demolished between 1884 and 1888 to make room for a new and larger station which forms part of the present Liverpool Exchange Station."
"The force of the explosion demolished one pair of piers and two spans of the bridge crashed down into the river on top of the barges."
"At Hawick, nothing remains of the station, and the viaduct over the River Teviot is one of a number of bridges that were demolished or removed following closure."
"The Captain folded his brow into a look of intense perplexity. 'You seem exceedingly spry for a man who demolished an entire bottle of brandy and better part of an ounce of shag in a single evening.' 'And very nice too,' said the tramp. 'Now as to breakfast?'"
"Andrew Johnson scored a hat-trick as Fulham demolished London rivals Queens Park Rangers to win their Premier League fixture of the season."

Etymology

Attested since the 16th century; from Middle French demoliss-, the stem of some conjugated forms of the verb demolir (“to destroy”, “to tear down”), from Latin dēmōlior (“to tear down”). Displaced native Old English tōweorpan (literally “to throw apart”).

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

demolishes (present, singular) demolishing (participle, present) demolished (participle, past) demolished (past)

Derived Forms

demo demolishable demolisher demolishment demolition redemolish undemolish undemolished

Synonyms

destroy devour down consume go through pulverize pulverise

Rhymes With

polish abolish kalisz

Questions

How do you pronounce demolish?: The recorded pronunciation is /dɪˈmɒl.ɪʃ/.
What does demolish mean?: To destroy (buildings, etc.), especially in a planned or intentional fashion.
Where does demolish come from?: Attested since the 16th century; from Middle French demoliss-, the stem of some conjugated forms of the verb demolir (“to destroy”, “to tear down”), from Latin dēmōlior (“to tear down”). Displaced native Old English tōweorpan (literally “to throw apart”).

How to pronounce demolish

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “demolish”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/dɪˈmɒl.ɪʃ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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