tear

¹

[ teer ]

noun

1. 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

2. this fluid appearing in or flowing from the eye as the result of emotion, especially grief:

   to shed tears.

3. 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.

4. Glassmaking. a decorative air bubble enclosed in a glass vessel; air bell.
5. tears, grief; sorrow.

verb (used without object)

1. to fill up and overflow with tears, as the eyes (often followed by up ):

   My eyes were tearing in the wind. He teared up when he heard the news.

tear

²

[ tair ]

verb (used with object)

tearingtore or (Archaic) taretorn or (Archaic) tare

1. to pull apart or in pieces by force, especially so as to leave ragged or irregular edges.

   Synonyms: rive, rip, rend

   Antonyms: sew, repair, mend

2. to pull or snatch violently; wrench away with force:

   to tear wrappings from a package; to tear a book from someone's hands.

3. to distress greatly:

   anguish that tears the heart.

   Synonyms: afflict, shatter, crack, break (one's) heart

4. to divide or disrupt:

   a country torn by civil war.

   Synonyms: splinter, split, disunite

   Antonyms: bind, join, reunite, unite

5. to wound or injure by or as if by rending; lacerate.

   Synonyms: mangle, cut, slash

6. to produce or effect by rending:

   to tear a hole in one's coat.

7. to remove by force or effort:

   to be unable to tear oneself from a place.

verb (used without object)

tearingtorn or (Archaic) taretore or (Archaic) tare

1. to become torn.
2. to make a tear or rent.
3. 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

1. the act of tearing.
2. a rent or fissure.

   Synonyms: split, rift, rip

3. a rage or passion; violent flurry or outburst.
4. Informal. a spree.

verb phrase

1. Slang. to perform or do, especially rapidly or casually:

   to tear off a poem; to tear off a set of tennis.

2. Informal.
   1. to attack impulsively and heedlessly:

      He tore into the food with a will.

   2. to attack verbally:

      She tore into him for being late for dinner.

3. 1. to pull down; destroy; demolish.
   2. to disparage or discredit:

      to tear down one's friends behind their backs.

4. 1. to pluck violently at; attempt to tear:

      She tore at the bandages until they loosened.

   2. to distress; afflict:

      remorse that tears at one's soul.

5. 1. to tear into small shreds:

      He tore up the drawings because she had criticized them.

   2. to cancel or annul:

      to tear up a contract.

tear

¹

/ tɪə /

noun

1. a drop of the secretion of the lacrimal glands See tears
2. something shaped like a hanging drop

   a tear of amber

tear

²

/ tɛə /

verb

1. to cause (material, paper, etc) to come apart or (of material, etc) to come apart; rip
2. tr to make (a hole or split) in (something)

   to tear a hole in a dress

3. introften foll byalong to hurry or rush

   to tear along the street

4. tr; usually foll by away or from to remove or take by force
5. whenintr, often foll by at to cause pain, distress, or anguish (to)

   it tore at my heartstrings to see the starving child

6. tear one's hair informal.
   to be angry, frustrated, very worried, etc

noun

1. a hole, cut, or split
2. the act of tearing
3. a great hurry; rush
4. on a tear slang.
   showing a sudden burst of energy

tear

/ tîr /

1. A drop of the clear salty liquid secreted by glands (lacrimal glands) in the eyes. Tears wet the membrane covering the eye and help rid the eye of irritating substances.

Derived Forms

• ˈtearless, adjective
• ˈtearable, adjective
• ˈtearer, noun

Other Words From

• teara·ble adjective
• teara·ble·ness noun
• tearer noun
• un·teara·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

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; 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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of tear¹

Old English tēar, related to Old Frisian, Old Norse tār, Old High German zahar, Greek dakri

Origin of tear²

Old English teran; related to Old Saxon terian, Gothic gatairan to destroy, Old High German zeran to destroy

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in tears, weeping:

   He was in tears over the death of his dog.

2. tear it, Slang. to ruin all hope; spoil everything.
3. 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.

More idioms and phrases containing tear

• rip (tear) into
• wear and tear
• tears
• torn

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

“It’s very disheartening to see women tear other women down, especially when women who are successful in other avenues of their industry see younger talent working really hard,” Sweeney said in Vanity Fair’s 2025 Hollywood issue.

From Los Angeles Times

At a time when the land that racetracks sit on has become so valuable that developers are paying record sums to tear them down and build industrial parks in their place, buying a race that is run on city streets was a smart investment on a number of levels.

From Los Angeles Times

The plan's answer to the oil bust is to tear down barriers protecting public land, allowing oil and gas companies to expand their operations there.

From Salon

Asked about the incident for the latest issue of Vanity Fair, Sweeney said: "It’s very disheartening to see women tear other women down, especially when women who are successful in other avenues of their industry see younger talent working really hard - hoping to achieve whatever dreams that they may have - and then trying to bash and discredit any work that they’ve done."

From BBC

“His sisters Cheryl and Michelle confirmed the following: ‘Basically he had a tear in the sac around the heart and blood has filled inside it from the main aorta artery and that has caused the heart to stop,’ ” the Facebook statement said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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