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Synonyms

tearing

1 American  
[teer-ing] / ˈtɪər ɪŋ /

adjective

  1. shedding tears. tear.

tearing 2 American  
[tair-ing] / ˈtɛər ɪŋ /

adjective

  1. violent or hasty.

    with tearing speed.
tearing British  
/ ˈtɛərɪŋ /

adjective

  1. violent or furious (esp in the phrase tearing hurry or rush )

"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

Other Word Forms

  • tearingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of tearing1

before 1000; Old English tæherende (not recorded in ME); tear 1, -ing 2

Origin of tearing2

First recorded in 1600–10; tear 2 + -ing 2

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” is a soaring, achingly romantic tribute to the rapturous feeling of reading a great book, tearing through every page in a single afternoon.

From Salon

She’s trying to make some kind of kite, except the tissue paper she’s using keeps tearing.

From Literature

He went tearing out of the barn and was gone before Daddy’s words were done bouncing off the walls.

From Literature

Plus, a glassmaker becomes a tech superstar, comparing 2026 capex to the moon landing and the areas where AI is tearing through corporate America.

From The Wall Street Journal

He started by tearing out a couple of rotted support beams and replacing them with treated four-by-sixes.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.