demolish

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   defeat soundly

   The home team demolished the visitors

2. 2
   verb

   destroy completely

   the wrecking ball demolished the building

3. 3
   verb

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

   They demolished the old mill and put up four townhouses.

4. 4
   verb

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

   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?'

5. 5
   verb

   To devour; to eat up

   “Thanks, Raj.” Frank was too hungry to worry about Raj’s gob gloop on the bar, and happily demolished it in seconds.

6. 6
   verb

   humiliate or depress completely

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”).