tear apart
Idioms-
Upset or make distraught, as in The parents' divorce tore apart the grandparents . [Second half of 1800s]
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Criticize severely, as in The professor tore her paper apart . [Mid-1900s]
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Search some place completely, as in The police tore the house apart . [Second half of 1900s]
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Separate, especially unwillingly, as in The war tore many families apart .
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.
By 1860, hundreds of thousands had been moved southward, tearing apart families while fueling the Cotton Kingdom.
As bubbles accumulate, the magma becomes more buoyant and rises faster, sometimes tearing apart and erupting explosively.
From Science Daily
The most consistent explanation is a supermassive black hole slowly tearing apart a colossal star.
From Science Daily
Instead of the entire plate snapping at once, it tears apart in smaller sections.
From Science Daily
The two proceeded to tear apart each other’s personal and professional lives.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
