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.
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
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
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 used tear gas to disperse crowds in Westfield area as they moved towards the headquarters of the national electricity company, Nawec, with some chanting.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
He was eventually diagnosed with an annular tear and given two possible recovery timelines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Rangers captain Lawrence Shankland will be out for up to four months because of a hamstring tear and the forward may have surgery.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
But there is a wide berth of procedures between emergency and truly elective, leaving people in need of things like ACL tear repairs or minimally invasive heart procedures, where delaying could pose health risks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
I knew that Rich was trying not to eat as much so his pants wouldn’t tear on him, but it was happening anyway.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
His nigiri is adorned with nothing more than a flicker of wasabi and a quick wash of tare.
From New York Times ● Aug. 31, 2021
He also has countless types of tare, the seasoning bases for ramen, none of which Yoo will discuss because these secret flavoring agents do most of the heavy lifting at noodle shops.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 26, 2020
Plate them with a small bowl of the remaining tare and serve with the smashed cucumber salad.
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
By such lessons did I become acclimated to scientific calculation in even the meanest function, so learning the secrets of tare and gross.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
The tearing mode experiment showed one of the clearest potential advantages of the system.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
Even though Goth Babe’s songs aren’t getting played heavily on the radio or tearing up the charts, they still earned more than 100 million streams last year, according to the data company Luminate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Both are hungry and tearing up minor-league pitching.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
Eastern Belgium has become Europe's most urgent fire front, with a vast blaze tearing through the High Fens nature reserve for the past four days.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
The New Dealers were tearing through town like a hurricane.
From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm
The second-round pick out of Florida took over the role after Tyler Biadasz, who signed a three-year deal with the Chargers last offseason, tore an anterior cruciate ligament in practice last month.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
The relentless waves destroyed decks, tore down walls and appeared to flood several of the homes on Beach Road, part of the Capistrano Bay Community Services District.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
The jet then tore through a perimeter fence, bashing an SUV traveling on a public road and hitting a second fence line separating an area where robotaxis were parked, she said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
More than 10 days after a wall of ice, rock and mud tore through a Himalayan valley in Nepal, rescuers continue to find survivors.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
Otters dove down and tore clams from the reef.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
My copy of that old book is now dog-eared, its dust jacket torn.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Tight end George Kittle, who sustained a torn right Achilles tendon last season, is expected to play.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Since then, of course, Villa's spine has been torn out and Emery has to integrate 10 new players into his methodical methods.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
"The Econoline van is torn apart," she said, referring to the first vehicle hit.
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
The stub was torn in half and didn’t give much away.
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.
