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Synonyms

tears

British  
/ 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

  2. a state of intense frustration (esp in the phrase bored to tears )

  3. weeping

  4. presented so as to be easily assimilated

    reading without tears
"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
tears Idioms  

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

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.

“I used to wonder where tears come from endlessly when we are sad,” said Rai, sitting at the riverside restaurant she built on the highway to Rangpo.

From The Wall Street Journal

It involved a witness switching sides, repeated arguments with the judge and tears.

From BBC

"We lived like kings in our homes. Our life has become an ordeal," the old man said through tears, sitting on a mattress in his tent.

From Barron's

When Richard told him about his fears, “I saw tears well up in his eyes.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Wiping tears, she caught her breath and said, “You’re a good boy, Campbell, so I’m going to give you a little extra help.”

From Literature

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.