tear
1 Americannoun
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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.
- Synonyms:
- teardrop
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this fluid appearing in or flowing from the eye as the result of emotion, especially grief.
to shed tears.
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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.
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Glassmaking. a decorative air bubble enclosed in a glass vessel; air bell.
verb (used without object)
idioms
verb (used with object)
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to pull apart or in pieces by force, especially so as to leave ragged or irregular edges.
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to pull or snatch violently; wrench away with force.
to tear wrappings from a package; to tear a book from someone's hands.
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to distress greatly.
anguish that tears the heart.
- Synonyms:
- afflict, shatter, crack, break (one's) heart
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to divide or disrupt.
a country torn by civil war.
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to wound or injure by or as if by rending; lacerate.
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to produce or effect by rending.
to tear a hole in one's coat.
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to remove by force or effort.
to be unable to tear oneself from a place.
verb (used without object)
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to become torn.
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to make a tear or rent.
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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
verb phrase
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tear off to perform or do, especially rapidly or casually.
to tear off a poem; to tear off a set of tennis.
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tear into
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to attack impulsively and heedlessly.
He tore into the food with a will.
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to attack verbally.
She tore into him for being late for dinner.
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tear down
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to pull down; destroy; demolish.
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to disparage or discredit.
to tear down one's friends behind their backs.
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tear at
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to pluck violently at; attempt to tear.
She tore at the bandages until they loosened.
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to distress; afflict.
remorse that tears at one's soul.
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tear up
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to tear into small shreds.
He tore up the drawings because she had criticized them.
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to cancel or annul.
to tear up a contract.
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idioms
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tear it, to ruin all hope; spoil everything.
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tear one's hair, to manifest extreme anxiety, grief, anger, or frustration: Also tear one's hair out.
I'm so upset, I could just tear my hair out.
verb
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to cause (material, paper, etc) to come apart or (of material, etc) to come apart; rip
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(tr) to make (a hole or split) in (something)
to tear a hole in a dress
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to hurry or rush
to tear along the street
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(tr; usually foll by away or from) to remove or take by force
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to cause pain, distress, or anguish (to)
it tore at my heartstrings to see the starving child
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informal to be angry, frustrated, very worried, etc
noun
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a hole, cut, or split
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the act of tearing
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a great hurry; rush
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slang showing a sudden burst of energy
noun
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a drop of the secretion of the lacrimal glands See tears
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something shaped like a hanging drop
a tear of amber
Synonym Usage
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 Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tear1
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
Origin of tear2
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”
Explanation
When you tear something, you rip it apart. You might tear a hole in your jeans if you catch them on something sharp, or you might tear up that love letter you wrote to your crush. The verb tear often refers to pulling something apart or making a hole — and has a noun form that describes the result of those actions — but it can also describe quick movement. If you tear out of the parking lot, you’re driving very fast. When you use tear in these ways, pronounce it to rhyme with hair. Another word, tear — what you do or produce when you cry — is spelled the same but pronounced to rhyme with peer.
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.
See Examples For:
Police fired several tear gas grenades to clear the group, which was holding its protest near a university building and the city's police station.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026
On the morning of his first awards nomination, he ducks behind the set to hide a grateful tear.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
“I always said that year one would be moments of brilliance and moments where I want to tear my hair out because of the mistakes he makes,” Wolff said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
The 31-year-old, who joined the Johannesburg-based Lions this summer, suffered a tear in the aorta, an artery which carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
She’s smiling, but then a tear slips out of the corner of her eye and rolls down her face.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Grilling technique is especially important because Torien’s use of seasonings is minimalist; almost every skewer is salted, and some, but not all, are brushed with tare.
From New York Times ● Jul. 13, 2021
Teriyaki is the most well-known style of tare, a Japanese marinade or glaze frequently paired with grilled meats, and you’ll make a version of it for the chicken.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 24, 2019
Each bag includes the tare weight to ensure you pay only for what you are buying.
From Slate ● May 7, 2018
Plus, the sauce they’re served atop — a thick Japanese tare — is enhanced by the unctuous filling that spills out.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 9, 2017
Until Jade Dragon is no longer lonely and is reunited with at least one of her children, Fruitless Mountain will remain tare.
From "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" by Grace Lin
The episode has managed to unite lawmakers in Congress who are otherwise tearing each other apart over the midterm election.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Footage posted online showed blazes tearing through homes in the communities of San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
"It gives lions the opportunity to engage in behaviors such as tearing, pulling and manipulating food over extended periods, which are important components of their natural feeding ecology."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
Ellison snapped up the palatial pad back in 2021 for $80 million with the intention of tearing it down.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
Wolf launched himself at Torak, and together they rolled over and over, Wolf play-biting and tearing at Torak’s hair, and Torak muzzle-grabbing and tugging at his scruff.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
When I handed him a dollar bill a few months ago, I gasped as he tore it up like a piece of scrap paper.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
"The wildfires that tore through our countryside this summer showed the urgent need to adapt to our changing climate," Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said ahead of the summit.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
District Judge Ana Reyes tore into government attorneys over the recent removal of trees around the course.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
They tore off a 42-yard touchdown run they could hang in the Louvre.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
“That’s cool. I swim the fly too. Or, I mean, I used to. Before I tore my rotator cuff.”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
"Lives have been shattered, families have been torn apart, the pain is immense."
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
Officials also realized that Stations 33 and 37, known to require seismic retrofits, were actually in such bad shape that they needed to be torn down and rebuilt, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
The couple was torn on whether to mention him at all, they say, as they stopped speaking after Lentz’s scandal came to light.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
These unsuccessful attempts included torn muscles and heat exhaustion.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
Losing Thomas and almost losing Fig had torn me in two.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
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