tear down

tear down idiom
  1. Demolish, take apart, as in They tore down the old tenements, or He loved to tear down old engines. [Early 1600s]
  2. Vilify or discredit, as in He's always tearing down someone or other. [First half of 1900s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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