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.
I watched people burst into tears as he walked by and I couldn’t help it.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
Often, the only traces of a Gallrein appearance are posed photos shared afterward on his campaign Facebook page, the political equivalent of tears in the rain.
From Slate • May 19, 2026
"Win or lose, I will be in floods of tears and I wanted to be doing that in Edinburgh rather than New Zealand," she told the BBC.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
I didn’t imagine I would arrive back close to tears.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
I look up to see her face is wet with tears, too.
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.
