tears

/ tɪəz /

plural noun

1. the clear salty solution secreted by the lacrimal glands that lubricates and cleanses the surface of the eyeball and inner surface of the eyelids lachrymal
2. a state of intense frustration (esp in the phrase bored to tears )
3. in tears
   weeping
4. without tears
   presented so as to be easily assimilated

   reading without tears

Idioms and Phrases

see bore to death (tears) ; burst into (tears) ; crocodile tears . Also see under tear .

Example Sentences

Although the mother of another girl had phoned the school in tears, Audrey F said she had called her back, with Samuel Paty also on the call, and said the mother appeared reassured.

From BBC

“We tried to put it out, but everything was burning so strongly,” she says through tears.

From BBC

Yang cryptically revealed in August that a host brought several staffers to tears because “he hated the ideas” they had.

From Los Angeles Times

Adam Felber recalls that his son was “literally bored to tears” in school until he enrolled in Reed’s IHP program and began learning three years of math curriculum in one year.

From Los Angeles Times

“He had the biggest heart and was always the first person to offer help in any way that he could,” she said, holding back tears.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• break
• crack
• damage
• divide
• grab
• injure
• mangle
• pull
• rive
• rupture
• separate
• sever
• shred
• slash
• snatch
• split
• wrench
• yank