tear down
phrasal verb·1 sense·particle down
Meanings
Demolish or dismantle
Why “down”? A structure, a system, or someone's mood can go down when it fails.
“They tore down the old warehouse.”
“The council tore down the unsafe bridge.”
Don't confuse with
Tear down means demolish or dismantle. Tear off means pull off forcefully.
Test yourself
“They tore down the old warehouse.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
tear off
A contrast learners often mix up
Remove forcefully by tearing
back down
Same down pattern: losing
Withdraw from a position
break down
Same down pattern: losing
(of a vehicle or machine) stop working; Lose emotional control and start crying; Separate something into smaller parts to understand it; (of negotiations or relationships) fail or end; Force a door open by hitting it; Decompose into simpler chemical substances
bring down
Same down pattern: losing
Cause something to fall or land; Make something lower in level or amount; Cause a government or leader to lose power; Make someone feel sad or depressed
burn down
Same down pattern: losing
Destroy a building completely by fire
close down
Same down pattern: losing
Permanently stop a business or service
cut down
Same down pattern: losing
Reduce the amount of something; Fell a tree by cutting at its base; Kill or seriously injure many people quickly
fall down
Same down pattern: losing
Drop to the ground from an upright position; (of a plan or argument) fail because of a weakness
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