Tear Down vs. Teardown
“Tear down” is a two-word phrasal verb meaning to demolish or dismantle. “Teardown” is a noun for the act or result of demolishing or taking something apart.
Use “tear down” as the verb and “teardown” as the noun.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Grammatical job | Use | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| verb meaning demolish or dismantle | tear down | Keep the phrasal verb as two words. |
| noun naming a demolition/dismantling event or process | teardown | Use the closed noun. |
| the words follow an auxiliary such as will/can/must | tear down | The verb form stays open. |
Quick tests
Verb-or-noun test
Is the expression itself the action performed by the subject?
If yes: Use the two-word verb “tear down.”
If no: If it names the dismantling/demolition as a thing or event, use the noun “teardown.”
Caveat: The reviewed sources support the two-word phrasal verb and the closed noun; grammatical function, not mere adjacency, controls the choice.
Examples
The crew will tear down the temporary stage tomorrow.
After “will,” the expression is the verb and stays two words.
The teardown of the old display took most of the morning.
“Teardown” is a noun naming the dismantling process.
We need to tear down the test rig before noon.
The infinitive requires the two-word verb.
Further guidance
Core difference
Verb: “They will tear down the building.” Noun: “The teardown starts Monday.”
Fast Test
If the expression follows an auxiliary such as “will” and names an action, use “tear down”; if it names the event or an object/project, use “teardown.”
Usage Boundary
Do not close the spelling merely because the words occur together; grammatical function determines the form.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- TEAR SOMETHING DOWN — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Direct evidence for tear down as a two-word phrasal verb meaning to demolish or dismantle.
- TEARDOWN — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Direct evidence for teardown as a noun for demolition or taking something apart.