tears
Britishplural noun
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the clear salty solution secreted by the lacrimal glands that lubricates and cleanses the surface of the eyeball and inner surface of the eyelids
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a state of intense frustration (esp in the phrase bored to tears )
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weeping
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presented so as to be easily assimilated
reading without tears
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.
Walker often plays professional women forced to button down their emotions more than occasionally, in part because the struggle not to cry is considered more powerful, and interesting to watch, than the tears themselves.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
Breaking down in tears in court, Umar Ben Yusaf recalled asking someone close by to help, who carried an unconscious child out of the passenger seat and put them down on the grass verge.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
My daughter Manuela, 16, was silent and in tears.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
The families of LGBTQ+ pioneers Glenn Burke and Billy Bean wiped away tears after an exhibit at Dodger Stadium honoring their loved ones was unveiled.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
I didn’t pull away, and eventually, the tears streamed out.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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.
