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

Dressed head to toe in black she looks tough, but she fiddles with her studded choker nervously and wipes a mascara-stained tear away from her cheek.

From BBC • Jan. 25, 2024

After setting up the characters as simply bad or good, “Destiny of Desire” slowly starts to tear away preconceived notions of who these people are and reveals their complexities.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 21, 2023

“You have to use your nails to carefully, gently tear away the pieces,” she said, as she creased a line down the paper with her nails.

From Salon • Jul. 15, 2018

Or the bottom of a dinghy would simply tear away and all the passengers would be cast into the water.

From New York Times • Sep. 28, 2016

He only wanted to give me the time I needed to wipe the tear away.

From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin