tore

¹ American

[tawr, tohr] / tɔr, toʊr /

verb

simple past tense of tear.
Nonstandard. a past participle of tear.

tore ² American

[tawr, tohr] / tɔr, toʊr /

noun

a torus.

tore ¹ British

/ tɔː /

verb

the past tense of tear 1

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

tore ² British

/ tɔː /

noun

architect another name for torus

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of tore

< French < Latin torus

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.

The fire tore through one home, but no casualties have been reported.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

Construction crews tore down the storied East Wing in October as Trump pushed plans for what he called the "finest ballroom of its kind, anywhere in the world".

From BBC • May 17, 2026

The resulting floods tore through the landscape, carving deep channels as the water rushed downhill.

From Science Daily • May 15, 2026

“I tore my ACL my first season and was on injured reserve but I came back in 2022 and have been playing ever since,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026

I reached for one, tore its outer pulp off with my teeth, and sucked the oily juice.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023