tearing
1 Americanadjective
adjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tearing1
before 1000; Old English tæherende (not recorded in ME); see tear 1, -ing 2
Origin of tearing2
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.
"I'm tearing my hair out over it, I just feel so stuck," she said.
From BBC • May 10, 2026
Georgia Amoore is back after tearing her ACL last year as a rookie, and cornerstone players Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron are in just their second years.
From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026
Getting there means tearing up a century of manufacturing practices in a notoriously hidebound industry.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026
Together, these tools revealed a plate that is not simply sinking, but actively tearing.
From Science Daily • Apr. 29, 2026
“You take and take. You tempt us by tearing holes, creating gaps between this world and that to come. Did you seriously think you could do such a thing and that we would simply sleep?”
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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.
