tear down

tear down
{v.} 1. To take all down in pieces; destroy. * /The workmen tore down the old house and built a new house in its place./ 2. To take to pieces or parts. * /The mechanics had to tear down the engine, and fix it, and put it together again./ 3. To say bad things about; criticize. * /"Why do you always tear people down? Why don't you try to say nice things about them?"/ * /Dorothy doesn't like Sandra, and at the class meeting she tore down every idea Sandra suggested./

Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • tear|down — tear down or tear|down «TAIR DOWN», noun. 1. the act or process of tearing down; destruction: »... a fast tear down of all trade boundaries (Maclean s). 2. U.S. a) the act or practice of demolishing a house in order to build a larger house in its …   Useful english dictionary

  • tear-down — or tear|down «TAIR DOWN», noun. 1. the act or process of tearing down; destruction: »... a fast tear down of all trade boundaries (Maclean s). 2. U.S. a) the act or practice of demolishing a house in order to build a larger house in its place. b) …   Useful english dictionary

  • tear down — (someone/something) to damage or reduce the importance of someone or something. In the end, she glamorizes the very concept she is trying to tear down. Many blame the media for tearing heroes down by publicizing their mistakes. Etymology: based… …   New idioms dictionary

  • tear down — [v] demolish, raze annihilate, bulldoze, crush, decimate, devastate, devour, dilapidate, disassemble, dismantle, flatten, knock down, level, obliterate, pulverize, ruin, smash, take apart, total*, trash*, wipe off the map*, wreck; concepts… …   New thesaurus

  • tear down — index obliterate, refute Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • tear down — verb tear down so as to make flat with the ground (Freq. 5) The building was levelled • Syn: ↑level, ↑raze, ↑rase, ↑dismantle, ↑take down, ↑pull down • An …   Useful english dictionary

  • tear down — phrasal verb [transitive] Word forms tear down : present tense I/you/we/they tear down he/she/it tears down present participle tearing down past tense tore down past participle torn down to destroy or remove a structure or part of a structure… …   English dictionary

  • tear down — {v.} 1. To take all down in pieces; destroy. * /The workmen tore down the old house and built a new house in its place./ 2. To take to pieces or parts. * /The mechanics had to tear down the engine, and fix it, and put it together again./ 3. To… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • tear\ down — v 1. To take all down in pieces; destroy. The workmen tore down the old house and built a new house in its place. 2. To take to pieces or parts. The mechanics had to tear down the engine, and fix it, and put it together again. 3. To say bad… …   Словарь американских идиом

  • tear down — transitive verb Date: 14th century 1. a. to cause to decompose or disintegrate b. vilify, denigrate < trying to tear down his reputation > 2. to take apart ; disassemble < tear down an engine > …   New Collegiate Dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”