From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishwrecking ballˈwrecking ˌball noun [countable] a heavy metal ball attached to a chain or cable which is used to knock down buildings
Examples from the Corpus
wrecking ball• Also facing the wrecking ball will be the former Loft Theater.• Hong Kong, by contrast, had no history, no past, only a fealty to the wrecking ball.• There's no Polo Grounds or Ebbets Field anymore, both having succumbed to the wrecking ball and what is called progress. 