tears
Britishplural noun
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the clear salty solution secreted by the lacrimal glands that lubricates and cleanses the surface of the eyeball and inner surface of the eyelids
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a state of intense frustration (esp in the phrase bored to tears )
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weeping
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presented so as to be easily assimilated
reading without tears
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.
Debra Robinson burst into tears when the guilty verdict was pronounced.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Whilst giving evidence, the girl, who cannot be named because of her age, broke down in tears.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
ACL tears are particularly common in sports such as soccer, basketball and skiing, where athletes frequently pivot, stop abruptly or jump.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
A few arias punctuate the narrative, most notably the Señora offering her gift of tears and, later, Macaria’s troubled musing about how it has burdened her; they are structured with Puccini-esque swoops and climaxes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
As the woman talked, I could feel my eyes burning with tears, which I forced to stay behind my eyes and not betray me by running down my cheeks.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
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.
