rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryrazeComplete demolition
verb

raze

RAYZ/reɪz/

To completely demolish a building or settlement.

Crews raze the abandoned factory to make room for apartments.

Small excavator finishes knocking down last low wall of empty building, rubble and foundation footprint show complete demolition; no people inside, no disaster spectacle or dense city.
Etymology
razeOld Frenchto scrape, shave

French raser supplies the image of scraping or shaving something away. Applied to buildings and towns, that image became pulling or knocking them down completely.

In context

1221 Manhwa Recap401:55
A single undead's explosion might be limited, but a hundred, ten thousand, even a million detonating at once would raze the whole of Dongque City.
My Skill Was Rated ZERO Stars. So I Cast It 100,000 Times.—Weakest Mage → God of Fire.

More examples

  • The army razed the village during the war.
  • Workers are razing the old stadium.
  • Neighbors oppose the plan to raze the historic courthouse.

Forms

raze · razes · razed · razing

Similar words

demolish
Demolish means tear down, without always emphasizing complete removal.
level
Level emphasizes bringing a structure down to ground level.
destroy
Destroy is broader and need not involve tearing down buildings.