tear

[ teer ]

/ tɪər /

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See synonyms for: tear / tare / tearing / tears on Thesaurus.com

noun

a drop of the saline, watery fluid continually secreted by the lacrimal glands between the surface of the eye and the eyelid, serving to moisten and lubricate these parts and keep them clear of foreign particles.

this fluid appearing in or flowing from the eye as the result of emotion, especially grief: to shed tears.

something resembling or suggesting a tear, as a drop of a liquid or a tearlike mass of a solid substance, especially having a spherical or globular shape at one end and tapering to a point at the other: little tears of morning dew.

Glassmaking. a decorative air bubble enclosed in a glass vessel; air bell.

tears, grief; sorrow.

verb (used without object)

to fill up and overflow with tears, as the eyes (often followed by up): My eyes were tearing in the wind. He teared up when he heard the news.

OTHER WORDS FOR tear

1 teardrop.

See synonyms for tear on Thesaurus.com

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Idioms about tear

in tears, weeping: He was in tears over the death of his dog.

Origin of tear

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun ter(e), Old English tēar, tēor, tehher, taeher; cognate with Old High German zahar, Old Norse tār, Gothic tagr, Greek dákry, Latin lacrima; verb derivative of the noun; see also lachrymal

Other definitions for tear (2 of 2)

tear²

[ tair ]

/ tɛər /

verb (used with object), tore or (Archaic) tare,torn or (Archaic) tare,tear·ing.

to pull apart or in pieces by force, especially so as to leave ragged or irregular edges.

to pull or snatch violently; wrench away with force: to tear wrappings from a package; to tear a book from someone's hands.

to distress greatly: anguish that tears the heart.

to divide or disrupt: a country torn by civil war.

to wound or injure by or as if by rending; lacerate.

to produce or effect by rending: to tear a hole in one's coat.

to remove by force or effort: to be unable to tear oneself from a place.

verb (used without object), tore or (Archaic) tare,torn or (Archaic) tare,tear·ing.

to become torn.

to make a tear or rent.

to move or behave with force, violent haste, or energy: The wind tore through the trees; cars tearing up and down the highway; I was tearing around all afternoon trying to find sandals for the beach.

noun

the act of tearing.

a rent or fissure.

a rage or passion; violent flurry or outburst.

Informal. a spree.

Verb Phrases

tear at,

to pluck violently at; attempt to tear: She tore at the bandages until they loosened.
to distress; afflict: remorse that tears at one's soul.

tear down,

to pull down; destroy; demolish.
to disparage or discredit: to tear down one's friends behind their backs.

tear into, Informal.

to attack impulsively and heedlessly: He tore into the food with a will.
to attack verbally: She tore into him for being late for dinner.

tear off, Slang. to perform or do, especially rapidly or casually: to tear off a poem; to tear off a set of tennis.

tear up,

to tear into small shreds: He tore up the drawings because she had criticized them.
to cancel or annul: to tear up a contract.

OTHER WORDS FOR tear

1 rend, rip, rive.

3 break (one's) heart, crack, shatter; afflict.

4 disunite, split, splinter.

5 cut, mangle, slash.

12 rip, rift, split.

19a rip up.

See synonyms for tear on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR tear

1 mend, repair, sew.

4 unite, reunite, join; bind.

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Origin of tear

First recorded before 900; Middle English verb teren, ter(e), tern, Old English teran “to tear, rend, bite, lacerate,” cognate with Dutch teren, Old High German zeran “to destroy,” German zehren “to consume,” Gothic ga-tairan “to tear, destroy,” Greek dérein “to flay, skin”

synonym study for tear

1. Tear, rend, rip mean to pull apart. To tear is to split the fibers of something by pulling apart, usually so as to leave ragged or irregular edges: to tear open a letter. Rend implies force or violence in tearing apart or in pieces: to rend one's clothes in grief. Rip implies vigorous tearing asunder, especially along a seam or line: to rip the sleeves out of a coat.

OTHER WORDS FROM tear

tear·a·ble, adjectivetear·a·ble·ness, nountearer, nounun·tear·a·ble, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tear in a sentence

For 17 minutes, America watched live as the Illinois National Guard fired tear gas… as the police beat the demonstrators.
Citizens are turning face recognition on unidentified police|Tate Ryan-Mosley|November 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review
You just have to give everything—blood, sweat and tears—and you’ll create a memory we’ll all remember forever.
Marshall football, 50 years after plane crash, carries on, and remembers|John Feinstein|November 11, 2020|Washington Post
Whether that will take them to the playoffs remains to be seen, but the running back continues to be on a tear.
Steelers stay unbeaten, Chargers drop another heartbreaker in NFL Week 9|Cindy Boren, Mark Maske, Des Bieler|November 9, 2020|Washington Post
“It means a whole lot,” Dave Uiagalelei said, noting a lot of Polynesian friends and relatives who texted him reporting tears.
Clemson’s D.J. Uiagalelei continuing proud tradition of Polynesian quarterbacks|Chuck Culpepper|November 6, 2020|Washington Post

The tequila first popped up in April 2018 when Musk tweeted a photo of himself passed out against a Tesla Model 3 “surrounded by “Teslaquilla” bottles, the tracks of dried tears still visible on his cheeks.”
Elon Musk’s Tesla tequila will run you $250 a bottle|Kirsten Korosec|November 5, 2020|TechCrunch
They were printed not on tearable paper, but on a semi-transparent fabric of silken, flexibility, interwoven with silk.
When the Sleeper Wakes|Herbert George Wells

British Dictionary definitions for tear (1 of 2)

tear¹

/ (tɪə) /

noun

a drop of the secretion of the lacrimal glandsSee tears

something shaped like a hanging dropa tear of amber

Also called (esp Brit): teardrop

Derived forms of tear

tearless, adjective

Word Origin for tear

Old English tēar, related to Old Frisian, Old Norse tār, Old High German zahar, Greek dakri

British Dictionary definitions for tear (2 of 2)

tear²

/ (tɛə) /

verb tears, tearing, tore or torn

to cause (material, paper, etc) to come apart or (of material, etc) to come apart; rip

(tr) to make (a hole or split) in (something)to tear a hole in a dress

(intr often foll by along) to hurry or rushto tear along the street

(tr; usually foll by away or from) to remove or take by force

(when intr, often foll by at) to cause pain, distress, or anguish (to)it tore at my heartstrings to see the starving child

tear one's hair informal to be angry, frustrated, very worried, etc

noun

a hole, cut, or split

the act of tearing

a great hurry; rush

on a tear slang showing a sudden burst of energy

See also tear away, tear down, tear into, tear off, torn

Derived forms of tear

tearable, adjectivetearer, noun

Word Origin for tear

Old English teran; related to Old Saxon terian, Gothic gatairan to destroy, Old High German zeran to destroy

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

Scientific definitions for tear

tear

[ tîr ]

A drop of the clear salty liquid secreted by glands (lacrimal glands) in the eyes. Tears wet the membrane covering the eye and help rid the eye of irritating substances.

Other Idioms and Phrases with tear

tear

In addition to the idioms beginning with tear

tear apart
tear around
tear at
tear away
tear down
tear into
tear it
tear off
tear one's hair

also see:

rip (tear) into
wear and tear

Also see undertearstorn.

tear

OTHER WORDS FOR tear

Idioms about tear

Origin of tear

Other definitions for tear (2 of 2)

OTHER WORDS FOR tear

OPPOSITES FOR tear

Origin of tear

synonym study for tear

OTHER WORDS FROM tear

Words related to tear

How to use tear in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tear (1 of 2)

Derived forms of tear

Word Origin for tear

British Dictionary definitions for tear (2 of 2)

Derived forms of tear

Word Origin for tear

Scientific definitions for tear

Other Idioms and Phrases with tear