tear²

A2 Topic:Actions & Processes

Also spelled a-tearin

US /tɛɹ/ UK /tɛə/ See IPA manual

Homophones

rip; a hole made by ripping

Audio for this pronunciation isn’t available yet.

Homographs: tear¹ /tɪəɹ/ — drop from the eye

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

Freq #2328

Meanings

1

verb
To pull or rip something apart, often by accident.

He tore his coat on a nail by the gate.
2

verb
To pull something off or out with sudden force.

She tore the coupon out of the newspaper.
3

noun
A hole or split made by ripping.

There's a small tear in the sleeve of my shirt.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to pull or rip something... rip rend

2 verb · to pull something off or... tear offtear out

Word family

Forms toretorn

Appears in

Phrases (9)

See all

torn pants
pants that have rips or holes in the fabric

Adjective + noun
tear apart
to criticize something severely and in detail

Verb + adverb
tear away
to remove something by pulling or ripping it forcefully

Verb + adverb
tear down
to demolish a building or other structure

Verb + adverb
tear off
to separate something from a larger piece by ripping it

Verb + adverb
tear out
to remove something forcefully from where it is attached or embedded

Verb + adverb

Etymology

From Middle English teren, from Old English teran (“to tear, lacerate”), from Proto-Germanic *teraną (“to tear, tear apart, rip”), from Proto-Indo-European *der- (“to tear, tear apart”).

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

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