verb

raze

rayz

verb

To tear a building, town, or structure down completely, leaving nothing standing.

"The old cinema was razed to make way for a shopping centre."

"Much of the historic quarter was razed during the war."

To scrape, shave, or graze something lightly, or to cut a shallow mark into a surface.

"The bullet razed his shoulder without doing serious damage."

How to Use Raze

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo flatten something completely, usually a building or town, so nothing is left standing.

Common mistake

Easily confused with "raise" — they sound alike but mean opposite things: raze knocks down, raise puts up. Always double-check which one you mean before using it in writing.

Easily confused with

raise → razor →

Common pairings

razed to the ground raze a building razed the town

Word Forms

razed past tense, raze plural, razed plural, razes plural, razes plural, razes singular, raze singular, razed singular, razest singular, razedst singular, razeth singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The old cinema was _____ to make way for a shopping centre.

Etymology

From Old French raser ("to shave, to graze, to demolish"), from Vulgar Latin roots meaning "to scrape or shave" — the same family that gave English "razor" and "erase."

Rhymes for raze

faze haze daze gaze maze baze amaze blaze craze glaze graze ablaze

See all rhymes for raze →