See tear down on Wiktionary
{
"derived": [
{
"_dis1": "100 0 0 0",
"tags": [
"noun"
],
"word": "teardown"
},
{
"_dis1": "100 0 0 0",
"tags": [
"noun"
],
"word": "tear-down"
}
],
"forms": [
{
"form": "tears down",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "tearing down",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "tore down",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "torn down",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "tear<,,tore,torn> down"
},
"expansion": "tear down (third-person singular simple present tears down, present participle tearing down, simple past tore down, past participle torn down)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"text": "They're going to tear down the old shack when they redevelop the land.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1899, Laws of the State of Oregon, page 738:",
"text": "If any building within the fire limits of the city of Pendleton shall be so damaged by fire, by the elements, or from any other cause, that the same shall become and be untenantable and unsafe, the common council shall have power to tear down and remove the same as hereinafter provided, and to prevent the repair thereof.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1987 June 12, Ronald Reagan, Berlin Wall Speech:",
"text": "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!",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2022 November 30, Nick Brodrick, “Pride and innovation shine at St Pancras”, in RAIL, number 971, page 69:",
"text": "It's a world away from the dank and uninviting St Pancras that British Rail wanted to tear down in the 1960s.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To demolish."
],
"id": "en-tear_down-en-verb-f-xF5CJa",
"links": [
[
"demolish",
"demolish"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive) To demolish."
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "7 66 14 13",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "9 65 11 15",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English phrasal verbs formed with \"down\"",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "10 61 13 16",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with 1 entry",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "6 77 7 10",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with entries",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "Top Fuel dragsters are sort of like fighter planes in the respect that the frequency with which their engines have to be torn down and rebuilt would be insanely unaffordable in any other context.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1943, “Manufacturing Simplification”, in Western Aviation, Missiles, and Space, volume 23, page 200:",
"text": "The crew tore down the whole engine and reassembled it under the constant observation of an Allison inspector with Army inspectors continually checking the work.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1989, Laura E. DeNardis, A Parts Repair and Procurement Decision System, page 85:",
"text": "If the part can not be replaced through repair, it must be obtained through an external source. Two external sources include buying the part from a vendor or buying a machine to tear down and obtain the required part plus parts that might be needed in the future.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2011, Keith Earnest Anderson, The Last of the Pioneers, page 182:",
"text": "While waiting for the parts to arrive, they tore down the engine and began grinding the valves, which was done by hand in those days .",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To open and disassemble (a device or machine) to inspect, showcase, or refurbish its components."
],
"id": "en-tear_down-en-verb-~dnZ4NQu",
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive) To open and disassemble (a device or machine) to inspect, showcase, or refurbish its components."
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"text": "If all you can offer is to tear down the efforts of all but the most precociously talented students, then maybe you're not cut out to be a primary school art teacher.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1909, Proceedings of the Thirteenth Biennial Convention of the International Association of Machinists, page 37:",
"text": "I would want to have more grounds for my suspiciou than I have ever heard one of those men express before I would come out and condemn him and tear down his character in the way I have heard those men in District 15 tear down the character of our officers.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1999, Jorge J. E. Gracia, Metaphysics and Its Task, page 120:",
"text": "If the aim of metaphysics is merely to criticize and to tear down, once every theory has been criticized and torn down, what is there left to do?",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2020, Steven Putansu, Politics and Policy Knowledge in Federal Education, page x:",
"text": "At times, this book can be critical of some attempts to bring policy knowledge to the forefront of public service, but my underlying goal is not to tear down their efforts, but rather to join them, and bring a contextually sophisticated approach that better places policy knowledge within the decision making environment.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To degrade (someone): to discredit or criticize."
],
"id": "en-tear_down-en-verb-vJVMkhnC",
"links": [
[
"degrade",
"degrade"
],
[
"discredit",
"discredit"
],
[
"criticize",
"criticize"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive, figurative) To degrade (someone): to discredit or criticize."
],
"tags": [
"figuratively",
"transitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2014, Kevin O'Brien, The Last Victim:",
"text": "She watched the SUV tear down the highway in front of them .",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2017, Quentin Casey, The Sea Was in Their Blood:",
"text": "He was right: if Joel knew someone was watching, he'd tear down the road with the bike up on just the rear tire.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2020, Tom Stewart, Under Big-Hearted Skies:",
"text": "But with the speed I'd built, the plane's forward momentum didn't stop and I tore down the lake and closed in on the big forest.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To move at high speed along."
],
"id": "en-tear_down-en-verb-9dXyD2Ll",
"links": [
[
"move",
"move"
],
[
"high speed",
"high speed"
],
[
"along",
"along"
]
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/tɛə(ɹ)ˈdaʊn/"
}
],
"word": "tear down"
}
{
"categories": [
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English phrasal verbs",
"English phrasal verbs formed with \"down\"",
"English verbs",
"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries"
],
"derived": [
{
"tags": [
"noun"
],
"word": "teardown"
},
{
"tags": [
"noun"
],
"word": "tear-down"
}
],
"forms": [
{
"form": "tears down",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "tearing down",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "tore down",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "torn down",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "tear<,,tore,torn> down"
},
"expansion": "tear down (third-person singular simple present tears down, present participle tearing down, simple past tore down, past participle torn down)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"English terms with usage examples",
"English transitive verbs",
"Quotation templates to be cleaned"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "They're going to tear down the old shack when they redevelop the land.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1899, Laws of the State of Oregon, page 738:",
"text": "If any building within the fire limits of the city of Pendleton shall be so damaged by fire, by the elements, or from any other cause, that the same shall become and be untenantable and unsafe, the common council shall have power to tear down and remove the same as hereinafter provided, and to prevent the repair thereof.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1987 June 12, Ronald Reagan, Berlin Wall Speech:",
"text": "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!",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2022 November 30, Nick Brodrick, “Pride and innovation shine at St Pancras”, in RAIL, number 971, page 69:",
"text": "It's a world away from the dank and uninviting St Pancras that British Rail wanted to tear down in the 1960s.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To demolish."
],
"links": [
[
"demolish",
"demolish"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive) To demolish."
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"English terms with usage examples",
"English transitive verbs"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "Top Fuel dragsters are sort of like fighter planes in the respect that the frequency with which their engines have to be torn down and rebuilt would be insanely unaffordable in any other context.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1943, “Manufacturing Simplification”, in Western Aviation, Missiles, and Space, volume 23, page 200:",
"text": "The crew tore down the whole engine and reassembled it under the constant observation of an Allison inspector with Army inspectors continually checking the work.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1989, Laura E. DeNardis, A Parts Repair and Procurement Decision System, page 85:",
"text": "If the part can not be replaced through repair, it must be obtained through an external source. Two external sources include buying the part from a vendor or buying a machine to tear down and obtain the required part plus parts that might be needed in the future.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2011, Keith Earnest Anderson, The Last of the Pioneers, page 182:",
"text": "While waiting for the parts to arrive, they tore down the engine and began grinding the valves, which was done by hand in those days .",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To open and disassemble (a device or machine) to inspect, showcase, or refurbish its components."
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive) To open and disassemble (a device or machine) to inspect, showcase, or refurbish its components."
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"English terms with usage examples",
"English transitive verbs"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "If all you can offer is to tear down the efforts of all but the most precociously talented students, then maybe you're not cut out to be a primary school art teacher.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1909, Proceedings of the Thirteenth Biennial Convention of the International Association of Machinists, page 37:",
"text": "I would want to have more grounds for my suspiciou than I have ever heard one of those men express before I would come out and condemn him and tear down his character in the way I have heard those men in District 15 tear down the character of our officers.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1999, Jorge J. E. Gracia, Metaphysics and Its Task, page 120:",
"text": "If the aim of metaphysics is merely to criticize and to tear down, once every theory has been criticized and torn down, what is there left to do?",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2020, Steven Putansu, Politics and Policy Knowledge in Federal Education, page x:",
"text": "At times, this book can be critical of some attempts to bring policy knowledge to the forefront of public service, but my underlying goal is not to tear down their efforts, but rather to join them, and bring a contextually sophisticated approach that better places policy knowledge within the decision making environment.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To degrade (someone): to discredit or criticize."
],
"links": [
[
"degrade",
"degrade"
],
[
"discredit",
"discredit"
],
[
"criticize",
"criticize"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive, figurative) To degrade (someone): to discredit or criticize."
],
"tags": [
"figuratively",
"transitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2014, Kevin O'Brien, The Last Victim:",
"text": "She watched the SUV tear down the highway in front of them .",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2017, Quentin Casey, The Sea Was in Their Blood:",
"text": "He was right: if Joel knew someone was watching, he'd tear down the road with the bike up on just the rear tire.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2020, Tom Stewart, Under Big-Hearted Skies:",
"text": "But with the speed I'd built, the plane's forward momentum didn't stop and I tore down the lake and closed in on the big forest.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To move at high speed along."
],
"links": [
[
"move",
"move"
],
[
"high speed",
"high speed"
],
[
"along",
"along"
]
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/tɛə(ɹ)ˈdaʊn/"
}
],
"word": "tear down"
}
Download raw JSONL data for tear down meaning in All languages combined (6.2kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-01-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-01-01 using wiktextract (eaedd02 and 8fbd9e8). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.