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.
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
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
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:
Meanwhile bond yields have been on a tear since late summer, with 10-
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
The company’s stock has been on a tear since it went public via a special-purpose acquisition company in 2021.
From The Wall Street Journal ● 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
Police have used tear gas and other means to try to control what the authorities have described as "urban violence".
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
With a maniacal look in her eye, Lady Constance slit open each letter, quickly skimmed its contents, and then proceeded to tear it into bits, which she carelessly let fall to the floor.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
His nigiri is adorned with nothing more than a flicker of wasabi and a quick wash of tare.
From New York Times ● Aug. 31, 2021
He also has countless types of tare, the seasoning bases for ramen, none of which Yoo will discuss because these secret flavoring agents do most of the heavy lifting at noodle shops.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 26, 2020
Not only are they delicious, but they’re ingeniously efficient: A simple, homemade tare doubles as a marinade and a glaze for these blink-and-they’re-done skewers.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 24, 2019
Each bag includes the tare weight to ensure you pay only for what you are buying.
From Slate ● May 7, 2018
By such lessons did I become acclimated to scientific calculation in even the meanest function, so learning the secrets of tare and gross.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
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
The attacks, he said, were "tearing Kyiv apart".
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
"It gives lions the opportunity to engage in behaviors such as tearing, pulling and manipulating food over extended periods, which are important components of their natural feeding ecology."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 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
“Excelsior!” screams Carter as he races up the hall tearing down other people’s posters so he can hang up more for Ainsley.
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
Sunday's flood tore through the Gorkha district as children and communities prepared to mark the first day of the Dashain festival, a major moment in the Nepali calendar.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 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
While the quartet — the first metal band to perform at Sphere — tore through the instrumental deep cut “The Call of Ktulu,” that drippy leviathan swatted at life-sized fighter jets on the screen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
Then, after a hard-fought, two-point loss to Kansas City, the Chargers tore off another seven wins.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Behind him, he heard Renn shouting his name as she tore through the brambles, and Wolf’s urgent barks.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
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
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
Some had the components to become hurricanes in other years, but they were torn apart within days.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 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
Anya hunched over her dress that Zvezda had torn the day before, drawing a needle and thread through the cloth to repair the tear.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
