Raze means to completely destroy a building or city, tearing it down until nothing remains standing. When workers raze an old building, they demolish it entirely, often leaving just an empty lot where the structure once stood. The word indicates total destruction: bringing a structure completely to the ground, leaving no part of it standing. A hurricane might damage dozens of buildings, but only raze a few of them.

Throughout history, conquering armies would sometimes raze captured cities, destroying walls, temples, and homes so thoroughly that almost nothing could be rebuilt. Today, cities raze old buildings to make room for new construction, though this modern razing is carefully planned and controlled, unlike the violent destruction of ancient warfare.

Be careful not to confuse raze with raise. They sound identical but mean opposites: you raise a building when you construct it, but raze it when you tear it down. Think of the “a” in raze standing for “annihilate” to remember which is which.