raze Hear it!

raze Definition

raze (rāz)

transitive verb razed, raz′·ing

  1. Archaic to scrape or graze; wound slightly
  2. Now Rare to scrape or shave off; erase
  3. to tear down completely; level to the ground; demolish

Etymology: ME rasen < OFr raser < VL *rasare, to shave, scrape, freq. < L rasus, pp. of radere, to scrape: see rat

raze Synonyms

raze

v.

destroy, wreck, demolish, dismantle, tear down, level, ruin, scatter, overthrow, tumble, pull down, knock down, break down, mow down, blow down, batter down, cast down, reduce, fell, break up, tear up, annihilate, exterminate, overturn, flatten, topple, dynamite, bomb, bulldoze, subvert, smash, crash; see also destroy 1.

Antonyms build*, raise, erect. See syn. study at destroy.destroy.

raze Usage Examples

Object

  • village: The warriors set off on horseback and proceed to raze the rustic village to the ground.
  • city: He killed masses of people and razed whole cities if he was resisted.
  • house: Early on they dismissed the idea of razing the original house and starting afresh.
  • building: The priests heal with their breath; with breath expelled as sound they can raise great weights or raze a building to the ground.
  • home: It has razed 24 homes and killed 61,000 sheep.
  • head: Argent a fesse gules between three eagles ' heads razed sable with three scallops or upon the fesse.

Subject

  • fire: Description: The Banqueting House is the only surviving fragment of the palace of Whitehall, razed by fire in 1698.

Adjective complement

  • most: The Thai response was to sack Vientiane in 1827, razing most of the city.

Modifying Another Word

  • completely: One hotel had one wing completely razed to the ground.
  • much: Hurricane Ivan ripped through Granada, killing 29 and razing much of the small island.
  • then: They then razed all traces of it from history.
  • also: The church with 400 women and children locked inside was also razed to the ground.
  • systematically: After brutally ending the uprising, the Germans systematically razed Warsaw to the ground.
  • reportedly: Serb forces have reportedly razed the majority of the town and its surrounding villages.

Infinitive complement

  • ground: It was razed to ground by the German forces along with the rest of Warsaw in 1944.

Preposition: of

  • city: This razing of the city followed the conquest in 1533 when the Spanish managed, quite literally, to walk in and take over.
  • village: It was not an isolated case: the Americans had authorized the razing of villages throughout the province.

Preposition: by

  • fire: Description: The Banqueting House is the only surviving fragment of the palace of Whitehall, razed by fire in 1698.