torn
Americanverb
verb
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the past participle of tear 1
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slang an unexpected event or circumstance has upset one's plans
adjective
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split or cut
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divided or undecided, as in preference
he was torn between staying and leaving
Other Word Forms
Explanation
Torn things have been pulled apart or ripped. Things can be literally torn, like a torn piece of paper, or figuratively torn — like your torn heart when you have to take sides in a family feud. You can serve a salad full of torn lettuce leaves, or mend a stuffed animal with a torn ear. In both cases, something has been divided by force, or pulled apart. It's also possible to be emotionally torn, or conflicted between two choices, options, or people: "I'm torn between going to the party or staying home and reading my library book." Either way, torn things are difficult (and sometimes impossible) to repair.
Vocabulary lists containing torn
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.
These occur when a star passes too close to a supermassive black hole and experiences such extreme gravitational forces that it is torn apart.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
She said there were no mold issues in the East building but that the shower curtains were torn and had developed mold and mildew.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 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
Loose forward Isaah Yeo will delay surgery on a torn pectoral muscle to captain Australia.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
A physicist named Albert Einstein has just torn up the physical rules of space and time.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
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