démolir

demolish, tear down

verb deh-mo-LEER Less Common

Also means

destroy, crush (informal)

Usage Note

Démolir covers physical demolition of buildings but also figurative destruction — démolir quelqu'un can mean to devastate someone emotionally or to debunk them in an argument. The noun démolition is common in construction and urban contexts.

Examples

"Ils vont démolir ce vieux bâtiment."

Natural Translation

They are going to demolish that old building.

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