tear away

British  

/ tɛə /

verb

1. (tr, adverb) to persuade (oneself or someone else) to leave

   I couldn't tear myself away from the television

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noun

1. 1. a reckless impetuous unruly person

   2. ( as modifier )

      a tearaway young man

tear away Idioms  

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

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Example Sentences

Historically, warrantless subpoenas under these laws were used as a narrow investigative tool for specific customs and regulatory violations, not as a weapon to tear away the privacy and protected speech of social media users.

From Salon

And I pretended I didn’t see her wipe a tear away from her eye as she passed me the plates.

From Literature

“I just saw it tear away and slip under the water. It’s gone.”

From Literature

"You're watching a little bit in awe for the first few episodes," he confessed, "but then by the end, you're there sat with tissues drying tears away… it's a very, very sweet story."

From BBC

The humid air rushes past my face as I fly up, blowing the tears away from the corners of my eyes.

From Literature