tear into

/ tɛə /

verb

1. informal,  (intr, preposition) to attack vigorously and damagingly

Idioms and Phrases

see rip into.

Example Sentences

After photos hit the wires showing construction equipment at the White House, tearing into the East Wing, critics lamented the lost quarters of the social secretary and the calligraphy office.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The infestation is called myiasis and, if left untreated, can cause serious damage and can even prove fatal as the larvae tear into the tissue with sharp mouth hooks.

Read more on BBC

Politicians from Sacramento to Washington know he isn’t afraid to tear into them if he thinks they’re too timid to publicly call out xenophobia or support laws that protect the undocumented.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Hunter Biden did not hold back his views on the Democratic Party in a recent interview with Channel 5, tearing into party leadership, strategists, and the media alike.

Read more on Salon

It’s hard to imagine Congressman Gill objecting to someone tearing into a brisket sandwich at a backyard cookout.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• assail 
• berate 
• damn 
• decry 
• defame 
• denigrate 
• denounce 
• disparage 
• malign 
• mistreat 
• revile 
• slander 
• smear