tear away

/ tɛə /

verb

1. tr, adverb to persuade (oneself or someone else) to leave

   I couldn't tear myself away from the television

noun

1. 1. a reckless impetuous unruly person
   2. ( as modifier )

      a tearaway young man

Idioms and Phrases

Remove oneself unwillingly or reluctantly, as in I couldn't tear myself away from that painting . [Late 1700s]

Example Sentences

As the bus starts moving, people wave through the windows and wipe their tears away.

From BBC

"Fawaz has changed completely - he never used to call me mum," she says, wiping her tears away.

From BBC

The crew was in disbelief as they realised what they had achieved, with Coleraine rower Scott wiping tears away from her eyes after adding Olympic gold to her world title.

From BBC

The destruction comes as Israel has said it wants to establish a buffer zone there, over international objections, further tearing away at land the Palestinians want for a state.

From Seattle Times

Dressed head to toe in black she looks tough, but she fiddles with her studded choker nervously and wipes a mascara-stained tear away from her cheek.

From BBC