tear
1 Americannoun
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a drop of the saline, watery fluid continually secreted by the lacrimal glands between the surface of the eye and the eyelid, serving to moisten and lubricate these parts and keep them clear of foreign particles.
- Synonyms:
- teardrop
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this fluid appearing in or flowing from the eye as the result of emotion, especially grief.
to shed tears.
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something resembling or suggesting a tear, as a drop of a liquid or a tearlike mass of a solid substance, especially having a spherical or globular shape at one end and tapering to a point at the other.
little tears of morning dew.
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Glassmaking. a decorative air bubble enclosed in a glass vessel; air bell.
verb (used without object)
idioms
verb (used with object)
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to pull apart or in pieces by force, especially so as to leave ragged or irregular edges.
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to pull or snatch violently; wrench away with force.
to tear wrappings from a package; to tear a book from someone's hands.
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to distress greatly.
anguish that tears the heart.
- Synonyms:
- afflict, shatter, crack, break (one's) heart
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to divide or disrupt.
a country torn by civil war.
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to wound or injure by or as if by rending; lacerate.
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to produce or effect by rending.
to tear a hole in one's coat.
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to remove by force or effort.
to be unable to tear oneself from a place.
verb (used without object)
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to become torn.
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to make a tear or rent.
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to move or behave with force, violent haste, or energy.
The wind tore through the trees; cars tearing up and down the highway; I was tearing around all afternoon trying to find sandals for the beach.
noun
verb phrase
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tear off to perform or do, especially rapidly or casually.
to tear off a poem; to tear off a set of tennis.
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tear into
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to attack impulsively and heedlessly.
He tore into the food with a will.
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to attack verbally.
She tore into him for being late for dinner.
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tear down
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to pull down; destroy; demolish.
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to disparage or discredit.
to tear down one's friends behind their backs.
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tear at
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to pluck violently at; attempt to tear.
She tore at the bandages until they loosened.
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to distress; afflict.
remorse that tears at one's soul.
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tear up
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to tear into small shreds.
He tore up the drawings because she had criticized them.
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to cancel or annul.
to tear up a contract.
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idioms
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tear it, to ruin all hope; spoil everything.
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tear one's hair, to manifest extreme anxiety, grief, anger, or frustration: Also tear one's hair out.
I'm so upset, I could just tear my hair out.
verb
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to cause (material, paper, etc) to come apart or (of material, etc) to come apart; rip
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(tr) to make (a hole or split) in (something)
to tear a hole in a dress
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to hurry or rush
to tear along the street
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(tr; usually foll by away or from) to remove or take by force
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to cause pain, distress, or anguish (to)
it tore at my heartstrings to see the starving child
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informal to be angry, frustrated, very worried, etc
noun
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a hole, cut, or split
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the act of tearing
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a great hurry; rush
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slang showing a sudden burst of energy
noun
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a drop of the secretion of the lacrimal glands See tears
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something shaped like a hanging drop
a tear of amber
Synonym Usage
Tear, rend, rip mean to pull apart. To tear is to split the fibers of something by pulling apart, usually so as to leave ragged or irregular edges: to tear open a letter. Rend implies force or violence in tearing apart or in pieces: to rend one's clothes in grief. Rip implies vigorous tearing asunder, especially along a seam or line: to rip the sleeves out of a coat.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tear1
First recorded before 900; Middle English noun ter(e), Old English tēar, tēor, tehher, taeher; cognate with Old High German zahar, Old Norse tār, Gothic tagr, Greek dákry, Latin lacrima; verb derivative of the noun; see also lachrymal
Origin of tear2
First recorded before 900; Middle English verb teren, ter(e), tern, Old English teran “to tear, rend, bite, lacerate,” cognate with Dutch teren, Old High German zeran “to destroy,” German zehren “to consume,” Gothic ga-tairan “to tear, destroy,” Greek dérein “to flay, skin”
Explanation
When you tear something, you rip it apart. You might tear a hole in your jeans if you catch them on something sharp, or you might tear up that love letter you wrote to your crush. The verb tear often refers to pulling something apart or making a hole — and has a noun form that describes the result of those actions — but it can also describe quick movement. If you tear out of the parking lot, you’re driving very fast. When you use tear in these ways, pronounce it to rhyme with hair. Another word, tear — what you do or produce when you cry — is spelled the same but pronounced to rhyme with peer.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The tear was located "on the dress" in the portrait, the prosecutor said, adding both paintings "will require restoration work".
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
Meanwhile, bond yields have been on a tear since late summer, with 10-
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
Osteoarthritis is often called a condition caused by wear and tear, but that description leaves out much of the biology involved.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
Nvidia has been on an investing tear recently, pumping billions into the neocloud space.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
I grab the postcard, ready to tear it into a million pieces, but then I come to my senses.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Grilling technique is especially important because Torien’s use of seasonings is minimalist; almost every skewer is salted, and some, but not all, are brushed with tare.
From New York Times ● Jul. 13, 2021
Portioning ingredients with a scale means you can tare, or reset the scale to zero, after each addition and measure consecutively into a single bowl.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 23, 2020
Each bag includes the tare weight to ensure you pay only for what you are buying.
From Slate ● May 7, 2018
Plus, the sauce they’re served atop — a thick Japanese tare — is enhanced by the unctuous filling that spills out.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 9, 2017
Until Jade Dragon is no longer lonely and is reunited with at least one of her children, Fruitless Mountain will remain tare.
From "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" by Grace Lin
"You can morph one into the other without tearing it, because they both have one hole. That hole is a topological feature."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
Backup pilots safely landed the plane in Saudi Arabia after it dived at one point near the speed of sound, tearing away part of its rudder.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Ellison snapped up the palatial pad back in 2021 for $80 million with the intention of tearing it down.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
The Seahawks pulled away as the second half wore on, scoring three unanswered touchdowns and tearing through the heart of the Chargers’ defense, sometimes scarcely touched.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
As usual, Jonah helped Dad with the grunt work — tearing stuff out and hammering stuff back in.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
It is a job he has been doing for almost three months, since a huge wildfire tore through this landscape in July.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
They also fed more frequently and for longer stretches as they tore apart, pulled at, manipulated, and consumed the carcasses.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
After he tore up his left shoulder in Game 2 of the 2024 World Series, he had trainers tape the shoulder in place and took 11 at-bats over the final three games of the series.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
But in June 2023, someone tore down the Pride flags.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
When the last turnip was gone, I tore open Gran’s mattress and started spinning the straw inside.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
During an excavation last month, archaeologists and volunteers uncovered an 18th Century culvert that appeared to have been partly made using stone from the torn down monastery.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
We sit shiva, a formal seven days of grief in which mourners stay at home, wear torn clothing, cover mirrors, sit on low stools and silently feel their loss.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Surgery can repair the torn ligament, but fixing the immediate injury does not necessarily prevent long-term joint damage.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
Redden shockingly shared that Ingram is recovering from a partially torn Achilles tendon in addition to heel surgery.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
Dad breaks the seal and unfolds the torn notebook paper that lies within.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
