demolish

动词，指有意拆毁建筑物，也可引申为彻底击败、驳倒某人或某种观点；口语中还可指很快吃光大量食物。

💡 记忆钩子

把某物“彻底拆掉”是核心画面：先是把建筑物拆毁，再引申为把论点或对手彻底击垮，最后在夸张的口语里表示把食物一扫而空。

📝 学习建议

先记住“有意彻底拆毁建筑物”这一具体义，再把“彻底击垮”和“吃光”作为引申义来记，能避免把几个义项割裂开。
不要只把它理解成一般的“破坏”；它通常带有彻底处理掉某物的意味。

📖 中文释义

verb

core 拆毁

📖 指有计划、有意地把建筑物或其他大型结构拆掉，通常不是偶然损坏，而是彻底清除。

💡 常用“demolish + 建筑物或设施”，也可说“demolish the old building”。它是及物动词，后面通常直接接被拆毁的对象；不要把它当作泛指一切损坏的词。

literally transitive

The city plans to demolish the abandoned theater next year.

这座城市计划明年拆除那座废弃的剧院。

They demolished the old factory to make room for a park.

他们拆掉了旧工厂，好腾出地方建公园。
core 彻底击垮或驳倒

📖 把“拆毁”的画面移到抽象事物上，表示在辩论、竞争或批评中彻底击败对手，或有力地驳倒、使某个观点失去可信度。

💡 常用“demolish + 论点、理论、批评或对手”，例如“demolish an argument”。这个词比一般的“击败”语气更强，强调对方几乎没有还手之力；它不只表示赢得比赛，也常表示在言论上彻底反驳。

figuratively transitive

Her evidence demolished the claim that the medicine was ineffective.

她的证据彻底驳倒了这种药没有效果的说法。
common 大口吃光

📖 在夸张的口语表达中，表示迅速而彻底地吃掉很多食物，好像把食物“拆光”一样。

💡 常用“demolish + 一顿饭、一道菜或一大份食物”。这种用法通常带有轻松、夸张的口语色彩，不单纯表示正常地吃饭；用于人时，重点是吃得快或吃得很多。

transitive

After the hike, we demolished two large pizzas.

徒步结束后，我们很快吃光了两张大披萨。

demolishes present,singular,third-person demolishing participle,present demolished participle,past demolished past

📘 英文释义 (WordNet) 共 4 组

defeat soundly and humiliatingly

同义词集: demolish destroy

The home team demolished the visitors

上位: defeat, get the better of, overcome 下位: smash, swallow

eat up completely, as with great appetite;

同义词集: devour demolish down consume go through

Some people can down a pound of meat in the course of one meal

The teenagers demolished four pizzas among them

上位: eat up, finish, polish off

destroy completely

同义词集: demolish pulverize pulverise

the wrecking ball demolished the building

上位: destroy, destruct

ruin or destroy; ;

同义词集: demolish

his book demolishes an old myth

demolished my reputation

the professor demolished the student's argument

上位: destroy, destruct

🌳 词源

源自中古法语，最终来自拉丁语，原义与“拆毁、推倒”有关；16世纪起见于英语。

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”).

🔄 变式

demolished past demolishes present demolishing present

🏷 单词标签 & 词根