tear apart

1. Upset or make distraught, as in The parents' divorce tore apart the grandparents . [Second half of 1800s]

2. Criticize severely, as in The professor tore her paper apart . [Mid-1900s]

3. Search some place completely, as in The police tore the house apart . [Second half of 1900s]

4. Separate, especially unwillingly, as in The war tore many families apart .

Example Sentences

As bubbles accumulate, the magma becomes more buoyant and rises faster, sometimes tearing apart and erupting explosively.

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The most consistent explanation is a supermassive black hole slowly tearing apart a colossal star.

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How do you solve a problem like the “groypers”? The question is tearing apart sections of the American conservative movement after the Heritage Foundation last week rushed headlong into the wrong answer.

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Instead of the entire plate snapping at once, it tears apart in smaller sections.

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The two proceeded to tear apart each other’s personal and professional lives.

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Related Words

• admonish 
• berate 
• castigate 
• chastise 
• chide 
• denounce 
• discipline 
• rebuff 
• rebuke 
• reprimand 
• reproach 
• scold