tear down

See also: teardown and tear-down

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɛə(ɹ) ˈdaʊn/

Verb

tear down (third-person singular simple present tears down, present participle tearing down, simple past tore down, past participle torn down)

1. (transitive) To demolish
   • 1987 June 12, Ronald Reagan, Berlin Wall Speech‎^[1]:

     General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!

   • 2022 November 30, Nick Brodrick, “Pride and innovation shine at St Pancras”, in RAIL, number 971, page 69:

     It's a world away from the dank and uninviting St Pancras that British Rail wanted to tear down in the 1960s.

2. (transitive, figurative) To degrade (someone), to discredit or criticize

Anagrams

• danewort, downrate