tear-stained
Americanadjective
-
marked or wet with tears.
a tear-stained letter.
-
showing traces of tears or signs of having wept.
tear-stained cheeks.
Etymology
Origin of tear-stained
First recorded in 1585–95
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.
Watkins bowed her head on the table to hide her own tear-stained cheeks.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2024
It's notable that, when men do discuss those bonds, it's almost always too late: Diddy's I'll Be Missing You is a tear-stained tribute to the rapper Notorious B.I.G.;
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2023
“How can we exercise our ministry in this land, along the banks of a river bathed in so much innocent blood, among the tear-stained faces of the people entrusted to us?”
From Seattle Times • Feb. 4, 2023
The scientists’ tear-stained cheeks lit up with reflected light, and the crowd erupted.
From Science Magazine • Sep. 27, 2022
In a church full of Latinos with tear-stained cheeks, young and old had gathered together to hold hands, rough hands, soft hands, and pray and reach out to the Lord.
From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez
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.
