tear
Pronunciation 1 Verb

tear (tears, present participle tearing; past tore, past participle torn)

  1. (transitive) To rend (a solid material) by holding or restraining in two places and pulling apart, whether intentionally or not; to destroy or separate.
    • 1886, Eleanor Marx-Aveling, translator, Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary, 1856, Part III Chapter XI,
      He suffered, poor man, at seeing her so badly dressed, with laceless boots, and the arm-holes of her pinafore torn down to the hips; for the charwoman took no care of her.
    He tore his coat on the nail.
  2. (transitive) To injure as if by pulling apart.
    He has a torn ligament.
    He tore some muscles in a weight-lifting accident.
  3. (transitive) To destroy or reduce abstract unity or coherence, such as social, political or emotional.
    He was torn by conflicting emotions.
  4. (transitive) To make (an opening) with force or energy.
    A piece of debris tore a tiny straight channel through the satellite.
    His boss will tear him a new one when he finds out.
    The artillery tore a gap in the line.
  5. (transitive, often, with off or out) To remove by tearing.
    Tear the coupon out of the newspaper.
  6. (transitive, of structures, with down) To demolish
    The slums were torn down to make way for the new development.
  7. (intransitive) To become torn, especially accidentally.
    My dress has torn.
  8. (intransitive) To move or act with great speed, energy, or violence.
    He went tearing down the hill at 90 miles per hour.
    The tornado lingered, tearing through town, leaving nothing upright.
    He tore into the backlog of complaints.
  9. (intransitive) To smash or enter something with great force.
    The chain shot tore into the approaching line of infantry.
Synonyms
  • (break) rend, rip
  • (remove by tearing) rip out, tear off, tear out
Related terms Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations
  • Italian: andare sparato
  • Russian: нести́сь
Noun

tear (plural tears)

  1. A hole or break caused by tearing.
    A small tear is easy to mend, if it is on the seam.
  2. (slang) A rampage.
    to go on a tear
Translations Pronunciation 2 Noun

tear (plural tears)

  1. A drop of clear, salty liquid produced from the eyes by crying or irritation.
    There were big tears rolling down Lisa's cheeks.
    Ryan wiped the tear from the paper he was crying on.
  2. Something in the form of a transparent drop of fluid matter; also, a solid, transparent, tear-shaped drop, as of some balsams or resins.
    • Let Araby extol her happy coast, / Her fragrant flowers, her trees with precious tears.
  3. (glass manufacture) A partially vitrified bit of clay in glass.
  4. That which causes or accompanies tears; a lament; a dirge.
Translations Verb

tear (tears, present participle tearing; past and past participle teared)

  1. (intransitive) To produce tears.
    Her eyes began to tear in the harsh wind.
Translations


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