Definition

1. Verb:
   • To completely destroy a building, structure, or town, especially by reducing it to the ground or to ruins. This is the primary meaning, implying total demolition.
   • (Archaic/Literary) To erase, obliterate, or remove something completely, as if by scraping or scratching away. This meaning is now rare and often used in a figurative sense.

Usage and Examples

• Verb (to destroy a structure):

  • The old factory was razed to make way for a new park.
  • The invading army razed the entire village.
  • The city council voted to raze the condemned building.

• Verb (archaic: to erase/obliterate):

  • He wished to raze the painful memory from his mind. (Figurative, literary use)
  • The king sought to raze his rival's name from the historical records.

Advanced Usage

• "to raze something to the ground": This is a common collocation that emphasizes complete destruction, making the ground flat.

  • The fortress was razed to the ground, leaving no trace of its former glory.

• "to raze and rebuild": A phrase used in urban planning or development contexts.

  • The developers plan to raze the old shopping center and rebuild a modern complex.

Variants and Related Words

• Razing (noun): The act or process of completely destroying a building or structure.

  • The razing of the historic district caused public outcry.

• Raser/Razor (noun, archaic): One who or that which razes. (Note: This is distinct from the modern tool "razor," though they share an etymological root related to scraping.)

Synonyms

• Demolish: To pull or knock down (a building).
• Level: To make (a building or area) flat or level with the ground.
• Destroy: To put an end to the existence of (something) by damaging or attacking it.
• Flatten: To make something flat, especially by crushing or destroying it.

Antonyms

• Build: To construct something by putting parts or material together.
• Construct: To build or erect (something, typically a building, road, or machine).
• Erect: To put together and set upright (a building, wall, or other structure).

Related Phrases and Idioms

• "Raze from the earth": A dramatic phrase meaning to utterly destroy something so it no longer exists on the earth.

  • The general vowed to raze the enemy's capital from the earth.

• "Raze to the foundations": To destroy so thoroughly that only the foundations remain (or not even those).

  • The earthquake razed the city to its foundations.

Verb

1. tear down so as to make flat with the ground
   • The building was levelled