tearaway

[ tair-uh-wey ]
/ ˈtɛər əˌweɪ /

adjective

designed to be easily separated or opened by tearing: a box with a tearaway seal.

noun

British. a wild, reckless person.

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Origin of tearaway

First recorded in 1825–35; adj., noun use of verb phrase tear away

Words nearby tearaway

tear-gas, tear-jerker, tear-off, tear-out, tear-stained, tearaway, teardown, teardrop, tearful, tearing, tearjerker
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for tear away

tear away
/ (tɛə) /

verb

(tr, adverb) to persuade (oneself or someone else) to leaveI couldn't tear myself away from the television

noun tearaway

British
  1. a reckless impetuous unruly person
  2. (as modifier)a tearaway young man
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

Idioms and Phrases with tear away

tear away

Remove oneself unwillingly or reluctantly, as in I couldn't tear myself away from that painting. [Late 1700s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.