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tear

[ teer ]

/ tɪər /

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See synonyms for: tear / tare / tearing / tears on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

this fluid appearing in or flowing from the eye as the result of emotion, especially grief: to shed tears.

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.

Glassmaking. a decorative air bubble enclosed in a glass vessel; air bell.

tears, grief; sorrow.

verb (used without object)

to fill up and overflow with tears, as the eyes (often followed by up): My eyes were tearing in the wind. He teared up when he heard the news.

OTHER WORDS FOR tear

1 teardrop.

See synonyms for tear on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

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Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

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Idioms about tear

in tears, weeping: He was in tears over the death of his dog.

Origin of tear

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

Words nearby tear

tea-of-heaven, tea party, teapot, Teapot Dome, teapoy, tear, tear apart, tear around, tear at, tearaway, tear bomb

Other definitions for tear (2 of 2)

tear²

[ tair ]

/ tɛər /

verb (used with object), tore or (Archaic) tare,torn or (Archaic) tare,tear·ing.

to pull apart or in pieces by force, especially so as to leave ragged or irregular edges.

to pull or snatch violently; wrench away with force: to tear wrappings from a package; to tear a book from someone's hands.

to distress greatly: anguish that tears the heart.

to divide or disrupt: a country torn by civil war.

to wound or injure by or as if by rending; lacerate.

to produce or effect by rending: to tear a hole in one's coat.

to remove by force or effort: to be unable to tear oneself from a place.

verb (used without object), tore or (Archaic) tare,torn or (Archaic) tare,tear·ing.

to become torn.

to make a tear or rent.

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

the act of tearing.

a rent or fissure.

a rage or passion; violent flurry or outburst.

Informal. a spree.

Verb Phrases

tear at,

to pluck violently at; attempt to tear: She tore at the bandages until they loosened.
to distress; afflict: remorse that tears at one's soul.

tear down,

to pull down; destroy; demolish.
to disparage or discredit: to tear down one's friends behind their backs.

tear into, Informal.

to attack impulsively and heedlessly: He tore into the food with a will.
to attack verbally: She tore into him for being late for dinner.

tear off, Slang. to perform or do, especially rapidly or casually: to tear off a poem; to tear off a set of tennis.

tear up,

to tear into small shreds: He tore up the drawings because she had criticized them.
to cancel or annul: to tear up a contract.

OTHER WORDS FOR tear

1 rend, rip, rive.

3 break (one's) heart, crack, shatter; afflict.

4 disunite, split, splinter.

5 cut, mangle, slash.

12 rip, rift, split.

19a rip up.

See synonyms for tear on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR tear

1 mend, repair, sew.

4 unite, reunite, join; bind.

See antonyms for tear on Thesaurus.com

Origin of tear

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”

synonym study for tear

1. 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 WORDS FROM tear

tear·a·ble, adjectivetear·a·ble·ness, nountearer, nounun·tear·a·ble, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use tear in a sentence

The recent tech stock tear has increased the wealth of Bezos, the richest man in the world, to $205 billion, making him the first person in history to be worth more than $200 billion.
MacKenzie Scott is now the wealthiest woman in the world|ehinchliffe|September 2, 2020|Fortune
The anti-fray design means you won’t have to deal with all the wear and tear that comes with regular use.
The best ankle weights for a sculpted lower body|PopSci Commerce Team|September 1, 2020|Popular-Science
Laugh at “Like Crazy” and don’t be surprised if there’s a tear or two.
Learning to parent your parent|Terri Schlichenmeyer|August 21, 2020|Washington Blade
Then with my wife almost in tears, he threatened her with jail if she refused to sign.
An Officer’s Word Shouldn’t Be the Last Word|Andrew Taylor|August 19, 2020|Voice of San Diego

Tech shares have been on a tear this year as the Covid-19 pandemic drove more people online, lifting the fortunes of the companies’ founders and putting the industry under increased scrutiny.
Elon Musk adds another $8 billion to become world’s fourth-richest person|Verne Kopytoff|August 18, 2020|Fortune
Sam watches her fall apart, tear herself apart and is desperate.
Grief: The Real Monster in The Babadook|Tim Teeman|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And then he went on a tear in early 2013, creating one provocation after another, seemingly every day for more than two months.
Kim Jong Un’s Kid Gloves Are Now Off|Gordon G. Chang|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As Kate was driven away, she appeared to wipe a tear from her eye.
Tearful Kate Weeps After Meeting Mother Whose Baby Died|Tom Sykes|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Many of those gathering in the run-up to the grand jury decision wore hockey and tear gas masks to conceal their identity.
Justice Was Served in Ferguson—This Isn’t Jim Crow America|Ron Christie|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In other news, black and white pin-up shots are now officially less valuable than life-size Tiger Beat tear outs.
Justin Bieber Isn’t Even 21, Yet Makes More Money Than Meryl Streep|Amy Zimmerman|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Louis turned at the exclamation, and looked on the faithful servant; but no tear was in his eye, no sound on his lip.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
By what word is the relation between “pendulum” and “a smile and tear” described?
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
In the tear-stained story of humanity there has never been aught to surpass the thrilling record of Cawnpore.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
In a short time you will be able, in the language of Dr. Johnson, “to tear out the heart of any book.”
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
The horizon, however, was lowering and hazy, and the sun had not force enough to tear the murky veil asunder.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer

British Dictionary definitions for tear (1 of 2)

tear¹

/ (tɪə) /

noun

a drop of the secretion of the lacrimal glandsSee tears

something shaped like a hanging dropa tear of amber

Also called (esp Brit): teardrop

Derived forms of tear

tearless, adjective

Word Origin for tear

Old English tēar, related to Old Frisian, Old Norse tār, Old High German zahar, Greek dakri

British Dictionary definitions for tear (2 of 2)

tear²

/ (tɛə) /

verb tears, tearing, tore or torn

to cause (material, paper, etc) to come apart or (of material, etc) to come apart; rip

(tr) to make (a hole or split) in (something)to tear a hole in a dress

(intr often foll by along) to hurry or rushto tear along the street

(tr; usually foll by away or from) to remove or take by force

(when intr, often foll by at) to cause pain, distress, or anguish (to)it tore at my heartstrings to see the starving child

tear one's hair informal to be angry, frustrated, very worried, etc

noun

a hole, cut, or split

the act of tearing

a great hurry; rush

on a tear slang showing a sudden burst of energy

See also tear away, tear down, tear into, tear off, torn

Derived forms of tear

tearable, adjectivetearer, noun

Word Origin for tear

Old English teran; related to Old Saxon terian, Gothic gatairan to destroy, Old High German zeran to destroy

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for tear (1 of 2)

tear 2²

[ tîr ]

A drop of the clear salty liquid that is secreted by the lacrimal gland of the eye to lubricate the surface between the eyeball and eyelid and to wash away irritants.

Medical definitions for tear (2 of 2)

tear 1¹

[ târ ]

A rip or rent in a material or structure.

Scientific definitions for tear

tear

[ tîr ]

A drop of the clear salty liquid secreted by glands (lacrimal glands) in the eyes. Tears wet the membrane covering the eye and help rid the eye of irritating substances.

Other Idioms and Phrases with tear

tear

In addition to the idioms beginning with tear

tear apart
tear around
tear at
tear away
tear down
tear into
tear it
tear off
tear one's hair

also see:

rip (tear) into
wear and tear

Also see undertearstorn.

tear

OTHER WORDS FOR tear

Idioms about tear

Origin of tear

Words nearby tear

Other definitions for tear (2 of 2)

OTHER WORDS FOR tear

OPPOSITES FOR tear

Origin of tear

synonym study for tear

OTHER WORDS FROM tear

Words related to tear

How to use tear in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tear (1 of 2)

Derived forms of tear

Word Origin for tear

British Dictionary definitions for tear (2 of 2)

Derived forms of tear

Word Origin for tear

Medical definitions for tear (1 of 2)

Medical definitions for tear (2 of 2)

Scientific definitions for tear

Other Idioms and Phrases with tear