tear¹

A2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /tɪəɹ/ UK /tɪə/ See IPA manual

drop from the eye

Audio for this pronunciation isn’t available yet.

Homographs: tear² /tɛɹ/ — rip; a hole made by ripping

Pronunciation and word origins: Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Freq #2328

Meanings

1

noun
A drop of salty liquid that comes from your eye when you cry.

The sad film brought tears to her eyes.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a drop of salty liquid that... teardrop

Word family

Forms tearfultearingtearlesstears

Appears in

Phrases (4)

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tear duct
a small passage that carries tears from a tear-producing gland

Noun + noun
tear gas
a chemical substance dispersed in the air that irritates the eyes and makes them water

Noun + noun
tear gland
a gland near the eye that produces tears

Noun + noun
tear sac
a small pouch near the inner corner of the eye that collects tears for drainage

Noun + noun

Idioms (1)

See all

crocodile tears
an outward show of sadness that is false or insincere

Etymology

From Middle English tear, teer, teere, ter, tere, tyar, tyear, tyer, tær (“tear”), from Old English teagor, tēar, tæher, from Proto-West Germanic *tahr, from Proto-Germanic *tahrą (“tear”), from Proto-Indo-European *dáḱru- (“tear”).

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

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