Tear | Mean of tear in English Dictionary
/ˈteɚ/
- Verb
- to separate (something) into parts by pulling it, cutting it, etc.
- He tore the letter in half.
- They began tearing their presents open.
- He tore apart the two tickets and handed one to me.
- The dog tore the pillow to pieces/shreds.
- Tear along the dotted line.
- to make (a hole or opening) in a piece of clothing, a piece of paper, etc., usually by cutting it on something sharp
- She tore a hole in her sock when she jumped over the fence.
- His coat got caught on a nail and tore.
- His pants tore at the seam.
- to make (a hole, a path) in a violent or forceful way
- The explosion tore a hole in the side of the building.
- The new evidence could tear a hole in their theory. [=it could show that their theory is not correct]
- to cut or injure (skin, a muscle, etc.)
- He tore a ligament in his left knee during football practice.
- a torn leg muscle
- When she fell, she tore the skin on her elbow.
- to remove (something) quickly or violently
- The curtains had been torn from the windows.
- She tore the book out of my hands.
- They decided to tear out the kitchen's old cabinets.
- He tore the page out of the magazine.
- I wanted to tear her head off!
- He tore off a piece of bread and ate it.
- She tore a corner off of a sheet of paper and wrote her number on it.
- Open up or we'll tear down this door!
- The police officer grabbed him, but he managed to tear himself loose/free. [=to pull himself away from the police officer]
- to go or move very quickly
- The kids tore into the house and up the stairs.
- We watched the cars tear around the track.
- He went tearing down the street on his bicycle.
- The fire tore through the forest.
- An epidemic was tearing through the region.
- The bullet tore through his leg.
- to damage or harm (something, such as a country) very badly
- The region has been torn [=ravaged] by disease and hunger for the last 50 years.
- a country torn by violence
- a war-torn country
- to cause (someone) to feel confused, upset, etc., especially about making a choice or decision
- I can't decide, and it's tearing me apart!
- It's tearing me up (inside).
- I've been trying to decide, but I'm still torn. [=I'm still unable to decide]
- She was torn by conflicting loyalties.
- He is torn between his career and his responsibilities as a father.
- a person torn between two lovers
- to completely destroy (something) by tearing it into pieces
- I couldn't open the box nicely, so I just tore it apart.
- The robbers tore apart the house [=they made a mess in the house] looking for the money.
- We tore the other team apart [=we easily beat the other team] in yesterday's game.
- Civil war threatened to tear apart the country.
- We can't agree, and it's tearing our family apart.
- to criticize (someone or something) in a very harsh or angry way especially by describing weaknesses, flaws, etc.
- The article tears apart the government's handling of the situation.
- I thought it was a good movie, but she tore it apart.
- They tore him apart when he left.
- to attack and pull pieces from (something) in a violent way
- The cat tore at my pants with its claws.
- wolves tearing at a dead deer
- Those two are always tearing at each other's throats. [=always arguing with and harshly criticizing each other]
- Her sadness tore at his heart. [=made him very upset/unhappy]
- to cause (someone) to leave or move away from something
- I needed to leave the party, but I couldn't tear myself away.
- She couldn't tear him away from the TV.
- He couldn't tear his eyes away from the TV. [=he could not stop watching the TV]
- to completely destroy (something, such as a building or wall)
- They tore down the old hospital and built a new one.
- We're planning to tear down the wall between the kitchen and the dining room.
- tearing down walls of injustice
- They're trying to tear his reputation down.
- to begin doing (something) in a very quick or forceful way
- The kids tore into the pizza. [=quickly began eating the pizza]
- The band tore into the next song with a lot of energy.
- to criticize (someone or something) in a very harsh or angry way
- My father tore into me for coming home an hour late.
- The critics tore into her performance in the movie.
- to break apart and remove pieces of (something)
- The city tore the street up to fix a broken water main.
- They tore up 20 acres of forest and built a new shopping mall.
- to perform very well on or in (something)
- They were tearing up the dance floor. [=they were dancing in very skillful, energetic, and impressive way]
- He tore up the league last season.
- Noun
- a hole or opening in something (such as a piece of paper or cloth) that is made by cutting it or tearing it
- The nail left a tear in his jacket.
- She had a tear in her stockings.
- She suffered a partial tear of the ligament in her right knee.
- having great success over a period of time
- The team has been on a tear in recent weeks. [=has been playing very well, has been winning a lot of games]
- The economy is on a tear, but can it last?
- a drop of liquid that comes from your eyes especially when you cry
- A single tear ran down his cheek.
- She wiped the tears from her eyes.
- Let me wipe away your tears.
- She was crying/weeping tears of anger/frustration/shame.
- tear-filled eyes
- That song brings a tear to my eye [=makes me cry a little] every time I hear it.
- She suddenly burst into tears. [=started to cry]
- He looked like he was close to tears. [=going to cry soon]
- Come now. Dry your tears [=stop crying] and try to be happy.
- I tried to fight back the tears. [=I tried not to cry]
- I couldn't hold back my tears. [=I could not stop myself from crying]
- The memory brought on a sudden flood of tears.
- We were laughing so hard that we were in tears. [=tears were coming out of our eyes]
- Everyone in the audience was moved to tears by their performance. [=their performance made everyone cry]
- His hateful words reduced me to tears. [=they made me cry]
- to have an ending in which people are crying or unhappy
- In our family, discussions about money always seem to end in tears.
- to cry or weep
- They shed tears of joy/gratitude when they heard the news.
- I never saw my father shed a single tear, even when my mother died.
- Verb
- to fill with tears
- Why do your eyes tear when you cut onions?
- His eyes started tearing up. = He started tearing up.