| 释义 |
verbtore, torn tɛːtɛr 1with object and adverbial Pull (something) apart or to pieces with force. figurative a nation torn asunder by political pressures Example sentencesExamples - It is the end of the hunt when the animal is torn to pieces that the majority of people do not like.
- Grabbing the notes from the bed, she began to tear them into small pieces.
- His body was torn apart and pieces of mangled flesh were sent in all directions.
- I tear these things into pieces and put them in a pile of little white wads on the table.
- Two years later I found that note and tore it into tiny pieces.
- All the talk about foxes being torn to pieces misses the point, he says.
- Shane started to scribble on a piece of tissue, when Max grabbed it and tore it into pieces.
- Out of anger I wanted to tear it into pieces and throw it into trash can, but instead I put it in the drawer of my desk after controlling my temper.
- As I watch them writhe in simulated pain, a young punk comes along and grabs some cardboard from the ground and starts tearing it into tiny pieces.
- She then helped Nasywa and three other infants touch pieces of paper, tearing them up and pasting them on another sheet.
- It's only a matter of time before the spell's protection will fade and her human body be torn apart by the force of gravity, so Orphen has to act quickly.
- The plane was apparently torn apart before it burned, killing the pilot and copilot.
- I've read horrifying stories of what happens when a child is aborted, babies being torn to pieces inside the womb, then sucked out, etc etc.
- Roughly tear the cos into pieces and place in a large salad bowl.
- The crew cabin was torn apart in 24 seconds, the report says.
- I will write lines of poetry on the back of bus tickets and envelopes, and then I will tear them into tiny pieces and watch them flutter to the ground.
- He pulled up another piece of grass and tore it in half down the middle.
- After the beheading, William Wallace's body was torn to pieces.
- Dispose of all receipts securely by tearing them into pieces before throwing them away.
- Imagine a bomb exploding next to a body, tearing it into little pieces.
Synonyms rip up, rip in two, pull apart, pull to pieces, shred - 1.1 Remove by pulling forcefully.
he tore up the floorboards Example sentencesExamples - He tore off the filters and stuck them in his ears, just before the shock wave of guitar noise crashed down over the bar.
- Near Kut some 2,500 Republican Guards tore off their boots and helmets before surrendering to the Americans.
- Baird's diaries make no mention of her, though a few pages have been torn out.
- Ivan tore off his sleeve and wrapped it around the wound on Joan's arm.
- So I'm not surprised to hear that they're not planning to kill the lion that tore off the arm of the twenty one year old zookeeper.
- ‘He tore off one of my diamond earrings so it ripped my ear and blood was pouring down my neck,’ she said.
- When I tore off two sheets, there was no second folding, no second wiping.
- Each night, when Em said good night, she tore off a page so Margaret could keep track of the date.
- Winds of 120 mph and drenching rain tore off rooftops, hurled debris through the air and sent huge waves crashing into buildings.
- He had nearly finished his Classic Comic, only to find that the last few pages had been torn out.
- Rather football followers should delight in the euphoria of Thierry Henry, who tore off his shirt and twirled it joyously around his head.
- A couple of Nainotlam volumes are missing and pages have been torn out from another.
- But Michael said, ‘She'll be fine,’ and he tore off a new wad of cotton.
- Firing several more shots in quick succession he tore off the magazine, pulled another out of his pouch and pushed it into the recess.
- As he tore off the pull tab, brown foam gushed out over his hand and down the front of his work togs.
- He tore off the wrappings and started to work it… and nothing happened.
- I wandered out into the hall and found the guy who tore off our ticket stubs sitting next to an empty table with Calla CDs.
- His face was dark and angry, and in one motion, he tore off his vest, and pulled me around, letting me see.
- I tore off part of a page and wrote my name and telephone numbers on it.
- While he tore off bits of fish, his family cried pathetically for a bite.
Synonyms snatch, grab, seize, rip, wrench, wrest, pull, pluck informal yank - 1.2with object Make a hole or split in (something) by pulling it or piercing it with a sharp implement.
she was always tearing her clothes Example sentencesExamples - Be careful not to tear the plastic or break the aluminum strip.
- A bullet tearing the fabric on his shoulder told him that here was not the place to do it.
- His pants were also torn and ragged at the bottom and there were various holes and rips in them.
- The front of his jersey is always dirty and the knees of his pants are frequently torn.
- The plaster and wallpaper were all torn and broken in more places then were normal.
- His flannel button town shirt was torn and his jeans sported more holes than Swiss cheese.
- Parts of the huts were torn and cracked in some places and it looked as if an army had swept through and annihilated the whole place.
- The quake was so massive, the ground cracked, houses split, roads were torn.
- He examines himself, he has no scars, his clothes aren't torn, his chest has no gaping hole
- He had a gaping hole in his abdomen where bone had torn his flesh away.
- It also works well for nail repairs, say if you split or tear a nail, to glue it back together.
- Bones were snapped, skin was torn, and arrows were poking through chests and backs - black arrows.
- Teeth tearing my flesh, breaking my heart, devouring my mind, losing myself!
- Bulimics can rot their teeth (due to the gastric acid in vomit), tear their oesophagus and rupture their stomach.
- His clothes lay torn a few feet away.
- Her black hair got tangled in overhanging vines and brambles tugged at her clothes, tearing them in small rips and holes, and sometimes managing to scratch her across the face.
- Of course what they failed to realise is that a Goth Club is the least likely place for a fight in the world - wouldn't want to break a nail or tear your new PVC outfit would you?
- He still wore green-brown clothes, but they weren't torn, and his fur was golden and his claws much more straight.
- The edges of the hole snagged and tore his robes, scratching him all over.
- From where he was standing, he could see the cloaking fabric torn by the missile explosion and the falling boulders what seemed like hours ago.
Synonyms rip, ladder, snag lacerate, cut (open), cut to pieces, cut to ribbons, gash, slash, scratch, claw, mangle, mutilate, hack, pierce, stab injure, wound - 1.3 Make (a hole or split) in something by force.
the blast tore a hole in the wall Example sentencesExamples - Cut outside showing Jake's airship firing several lasers into the hole torn into the ship in its initial pass.
- She changed into her black System of a Down shirt and a pair of white jeans that had a hole torn into both knees.
- A hole torn in the main street was later found to contain two large semi-trailers.
- If she doesn't stop the one below her from tearing a greater hole in the floor, she will die.
- We have to pay very careful attention to all the projecting pieces of equipment: we don't want to damage anything or to tear a hole in our spacesuits.
- The Pilgrims poured into the great gaping hole Nukurren was tearing in the Utuku center, ululating, their mantles blue and black.
- Then there was a single gunshot, and a chair right beside me blew back, a hole torn through it.
- The blast at the consulate tore a hole in the ground six feet deep and nine feet wide and set trees on fire.
- Marcia let out a little yelp as he let go of the branch too soon and it tore yet another hole in her skirt.
- The blast tore a hole in the floor of the car under the driver's seat.
- Though they came close when they stole a crane and deposited a Volkswagen Beetle in the Guest room by dint of tearing a huge hole in the roof.
- A hole has been torn in the thin veil of ozone just above the Antarctic.
- The bolts were not tightened and tore wider holes in the deck with the result that we almost lost the whole top in the water.
- You know we'll keep pushing the outside of the envelope until we tear a great big hole in it - it's the American way.
- Her taloned nails dug into to fabric and tore holes in it.
- Bullet holes tore only small dents in the walls and Alyssa's grenade left a large black mark in the middle of the wall.
- Its thorns latched on and tore holes in our flesh leaving gaps of salty disbelief.
- She grabbed a corner and they both pulled, tearing a bigger hole in the pillow.
- There was now a massive hole torn in the mangled roof of the pod.
- His AC - 47 gunship was hit by enemy fire that tore more than 3,500 holes in the fuselage.
- 1.4no object Come apart; rip.
the material wouldn't tear Example sentencesExamples - Avoid plastic because of discomfort and their tendency to tear quickly, thus decreasing their usefulness.
- It began to tear slowly but not quickly enough as we collapsed onto the wood and rolled across the splintered planks.
- 1.5with object Damage (a muscle or ligament) by overstretching it.
he tore a ligament playing squash Example sentencesExamples - The more common of these include spraining or tearing one or more ligaments, tearing the meniscus or straining a tendon or muscle.
- Sprains can be mild or severe, depending on whether the ligaments were stretched or torn.
- It wasn't until they opened him up that the damage was revealed: Alexander had torn his right pectoral muscle in four different places.
- ‘We had a bicep tendon that was torn, ligament tears in the rotator cuff and something in the scapula as well,’ he said.
- The shock of the fall had traumatized my spine, causing temporary paralysis, and tearing my back muscles.
- He accidentally put his right hand through a glass door, tearing tendons and ligaments and putting him out of the sport for eight months, just as his talent was starting to bloom.
- CB Brian Kelly says he has regained all of the strength he lost when he tore his left pectoral muscle last season.
- Dilfer will be lost for 4-8 weeks after tearing the medial collateral ligament in his right knee.
- He missed four games last season after tearing his posterior cruciate ligament, but he is completely healed.
- However, things took a sudden turn for the worse the summer before his senior season when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
- With enough force, the coracoclavicular ligaments also will be torn, and the deltotrapezial fascia injured or detached.
- Hours before the ride began, he slipped and fell, tearing all of the ligaments in his right hand.
- In a sprain, the ligaments may have been overstretched, twisted or torn.
- Examinations cleared Oliver of extensive damage to his hamstring, but they also revealed that he had torn his anterior cruciate ligament.
- He tore his biceps muscle on the third play of 2000, and the K.C. running game never recovered.
- He tore his hamstring tendon graft while skiing at 5 months after electrothermal shrinkage.
- Visible scars sometimes form after the skin has been broken, but you can also have scars on your internal organs, for example where you have a torn a muscle or where a cut has been made during surgery.
- My left quad muscles were completely torn, including the ligaments.
- LaFrentz is playing on a reconstructed left knee, rebuilt after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament last season.
- With the heavy weight used for the barbell buddy curls, a muscle can be torn relatively easily if you don't control the movement.
2informal no object, with adverbial of direction Move very quickly in a reckless or excited manner. she tore along the footpath on her bike Example sentencesExamples - I don't know how long I had been laying there, but soon I heard a car fly into the drive way and someone tear through the house and upstairs, yelling my name.
- After applying a little lipstick in front of the mirror quickly, I tore down the hallway, Angelina at my heals.
- Most of the album tears along at a relentless and brutal pace, it is far, far heavier than any of their previous offerings.
- Besides churning up the meadows, the vandals have been tearing along paths and dirt tracks.
- I was so excited about it that I tore through my house Friday night, looking for the perfect picture from which to paint from.
- Already there have been noisy motorbikes tearing along the path (photographs available), but Mr Neale lives well away and so is not exposed to the noise.
- Robin and SpellCaster tore across the parking lot in record time.
- Then the cancer struck and quickly began tearing through his body.
- Yes, it's a slightly bumpy ride on my trusty bike, but I'm grateful that some vehicle drivers can no longer tear along at high speeds.
- The young boy from the left wing tore across the library, turning over every table and fire lit lamp as he did so.
- Then you see little Robert on a hyper streak, tearing around the house, only to be calmed by his gran showing him how to load a revolver - one of a stash of six guns.
- The three Weimeraners were left trapped indoors as flames tore through the house in Warren Road, Banstead, at around 3pm.
- Otherwise they start around nine or nine thirty, when I'm woken up by the kids that I live with tearing around the house and shouting.
- I tore along the ditch, as the car was struggling to stay in control.
- Gravel sprayed behind him as he tore along the drive, aiming for the great iron gates ahead.
- Through the billowing spray their sails can be seen far out in the deep swell, tearing along at improbable speed and leaping high over the waves.
- They say riders tearing along pavements in the area have sent pensioners and mothers, pushing children in prams, sprawling.
- Zan watches his kids as they tear around the yard.
- Reckless drivers who tear around the streets of Bradford face having their vehicles seized under new police powers.
- She had just waved her off on to the No 66 to Maynooth and was standing against the wall of the Clarence Hotel when the bus came tearing along the pavement.
Synonyms sprint, race, run, dart, rush, dash, hasten, hurry, scurry, scuttle, scamper, hare, bolt, bound, fly, gallop, career, charge, pound, shoot, hurtle, speed, streak, flash, whizz, zoom, sweep, go like lightning, go hell for leather, go like the wind informal pelt, scoot, hotfoot it, leg it, belt, zip, whip, go like a bat out of hell, step on it, get a move on, get cracking, put on some speed, stir one's stumps British informal go like the clappers, bomb, bucket Scottish informal wheech North American informal boogie, hightail it, barrel, get the lead out informal, dated cut along archaic post, hie 3be tornBe in a state of uncertainty between two conflicting options or parties. he was torn between his duty and his better instincts Example sentencesExamples - Marguerite was torn between a fit of laughter, or bursting into tears.
- An idealistic young detective takes an undercover assignment in a theatre but is torn between catching the killer or the thrill of performance.
- When his best friend gets involved in a street clash, Ricky is torn between past loyalties and his desire to start a new life with his girlfriend.
- Confused and upset, she was torn between the wish to adhere to the Australian legal system and the powerful love of her husband.
- Yet, once she discovers the magnitude of his violent side, she is torn between keeping his secret, or telling his parents.
- I was torn between admiration and contempt - the latter because street radicalism often seems poised to collapse into narcissistic posturing.
- The family of British hostage Norman Kember was torn between new hope and old fears last night after his kidnappers confirmed he is still alive - but repeated their threat to kill him.
- But Olga told me that, when she was a child, she was torn between skating or ballet, so I thought I'd give her a chance…
- As a popularly elected leader, he was torn between the opposing demands of different sections of society, and in the end satisfied nobody.
- Frightened and isolated, his letter shows his confusion as he is torn between denial and acceptance.
- By ten that morning, I was torn between being totally excited and just plain sad.
- Her daughter, Mary, is torn between Margaret's unhappiness at being out of her home and the advice of the safety experts and authorities who say it is not safe for her to return.
- Joseph was torn between clinging to the ways of his forefathers and accommodating the new spirit of the age that could not long be resisted without violence.
- Carroll plays the devoted and over-worked teaching Brother who is torn between the love he feels for his students and despair at his wavering faith.
- Watching it, I was torn between schadenfreude - this couldn't happen to a nicer fella - and toe-curling embarrassment.
- The undecided are torn between the pros and cons of both candidates.
- Got there, I was torn between Pride and a small rebellious party called the Gay Mutiny…
- This set-up doesn't sit well with Plath, who is torn between adoring her husband and resenting his success.
- Initially Brown was torn between pursuing professional success and his literary interests.
- Tonight was homecoming and she was torn between excitement and dread.
Synonyms torment, torture, rack, harrow, wring, lacerate literary rend
noun tɛːtɛr 1A hole or split in something caused by it having been pulled apart forcefully. there was a tear in her dress Example sentencesExamples - An emergency laparotomy was performed revealing 6 litres of free blood and a tear in the posterior aspect of the spleen.
- Flashes and floaters may occur when the vitreous jelly pulls on or tears on the retina.
- The shockwave of the nuclear blast ripped apart a new tear in the tectonic plates under Britain.
- Those with severe nearsightedness are more prone to developing retinal tears, holes or detachments.
- A jagged tear split his shirt up one side, the faded red fabric parting to reveal the grimy ladder of his ribs.
- Although the sheet was rumpled and a tear had split down the side, I recognized it immediately.
- Every few moments he checked the cloud cover for punctures or tears, any hole that might afford him a glimpse.
- Brown speckles litter most of the leaves, as do occasional tears and holes.
- I cut out almost two dozen over the next 10 minutes, rolling and stretching where I must, patching a hole, a tear, a crack.
- It looks as if Beltraw went on a rampage here - there are tears and holes in the wall, with a door torn of its hinges.
- She watched him slowly stitch the tear, pulling the needle carefully through the fabric.
- Dundee had exaggerated the tear, by pulling the horsehair from the glove.
- The photographs show tears in fabric pulled apart to look like wounds, or pieces of metal depicted so they seem organic.
- Areas where this has not been done and which are getting trafficked should be checked and tears / holes overlaid and taped with the same material.
- She had put on her junky jeans that had holes and tears in it along with her ratty old black T-shirt.
- You were not able to check whether there were any splits or tears in the lead in the parapet gutter?
- He was transferred to Leeds General Infirmary where he underwent surgery to repair a tear to a major blood vessel.
- When changes due to myopia are present as diagnosed by the eye doctor, the retina is thin and can develop tears, holes and detachment.
- Holes, rips, tears and flaking paint are no riddles for Mr. Warrier and his team.
- If the vitreous is exceptionally adherent to a weak point on the retina, a tear, hole, or detachment may develop.
Synonyms rip, hole, split, rent, cut, slash, slit ladder, run, snag 2US informal A brief spell of erratic or unrestrained behaviour; a binge or spree. one of my drinking buddies came for the weekend and we went on a tear Example sentencesExamples - That will either mean I have a quiet day because she'll be zonked or she'll be on a tear.
- 2.1 A spell of great success or excellence in performance.
he went on a tear, winning three out of every four hands Example sentencesExamples - Marriott is now on a tear to add 1,000 more properties worldwide by 2003.
- DE Corey Redding finished the regular season on a tear but may not have a home in a 3-4 defense.
- One, real estate investment trusts are another part of the market that have been on a tear in recent years.
- Imports have been on a tear since the mid-1980s, and it doesn't look like they're going to let up any time soon.
- You can even make a decent argument that technology will continue its tear for a while.
- He missed one game - one game - and then went on a tear in which he totaled 191 points in five games over 12 days.
- Mexican stocks have been on a tear, and some see more room to run
- Many factories are on a tear, with business they haven't seen since 2000
- Continuing on my creative tear, I designed a new costume for myself.
- The Celtics won eight of their first 12 games after the departure of coach Rick Pitino, and SF Paul Pierce has been on a tear.
- Joe Katzman has been on a tear over at Winds of Change.
- This past session, for example, the court continued its tear, issuing several opinions that further limit federal power.
- Despite the absence of CF Ken Griffey Jr., who was slated to bat in front of him and a lineup that had no consistency, Casey was on a tear.
- Dell is on a tear now, but maintaining that clip could be tough
- All season long many in the garage were waiting for Newman and Borland to go on a tear and reel off a few consecutive wins… but it never happened.
- If Randa hits like he did in the second half, and Lopez was to continue his tear, they would have one of the more formidable offenses in baseball.
- O'Neal had been fouled hard, but that hardly mattered after he was tossed and Portland center Arvydas Sabonis went on a tear to seal the victory.
- It's beginning to look like the U.S. economy is on a tear.
- Brett went on a tear after the All-Star break in 1980.
- After the acrimony and misunderstanding of June, RF Sammy Sosa went on a tear for the rest of the season and had another monster year.
Phrases informal Feel extreme desperation. dealers are tearing their hair out trying to match customers with cars Example sentencesExamples - It's enough to make any sane person tear their hair out in desperation.
- Some of the goals will have you tearing your hair out, but therein lies the beauty of the game.
- If you are tearing your hair out over the excess expenditure, then fear not, for there is some great news for new couples.
- Even if that does not quieten the little gannets, it may make you feel less like tearing your hair out during the 78 shopping days we have left.
- If you were the CEO of a big business - say, a movie studio, music company, or multinational bank - you'd have been tearing your hair out at this scene.
- Does this right-side-of-the-brain living, which really isn't the thing you love, have you tearing your hair out?
- As Alex falls to his knees, tearing his hair out in distress, the questions still remain.
- That's why we're all tearing our hair out over wrong bills.
- Do you ever find yourselves tearing your hair out in the studio?
- Security shuts the palace down and our producer is tearing his hair out, desperate to test the rocket the Queen is to launch at the start of the fireworks display.
tear someone off a strip (or tear a strip off someone) informal Rebuke someone angrily. when he realized it was all a put-up job he tore a strip off Julie Example sentencesExamples - He will tear a strip off you one moment, and hug you the next.
- ‘I saw her speaking last October and I tore a strip off her,’ she said.
- ‘When I got them in at the end of the game I told them I didn't know whether to tear them off a strip or praise them for a job well done,’ admitted confused Celts boss Lee Sinnott.
- I was going to tear a strip off them for being unpatriotic when our political corr revealed it was simply their own anti-gay protest because the anthem has been hijacked by the likes of Graham Norton.
- With the exalted post of new deputy Scottish Labour leader, she is particularly keen not to miss the vote, for fear that chief whip Tom McCabe would tear a strip off her again.
- There's the part when Borchardt is dumped by his girlfriend, the part where his ex-wife tears a strip off him, the part where Uncle Bill is too weak to get out of the bath on his own.
- Scores of web sites are dedicated to tearing a strip off VeriSign and Network Solutions Inc.
- He's tearing a strip off Stephane Henchoz and no wonder.
- Might be home earlier than usual though, so feel free to tear me off a strip.
Synonyms reprimand, rebuke, scold, admonish, reprove, upbraid, chastise, chide, censure, castigate, lambaste, berate, lecture, criticize, take to task, read the Riot Act to, haul over the coals informal tell off, give someone a telling-off, dress down, give someone a dressing-down, bawl out, pitch into, lay into, lace into, blow up at, give someone a piece of one's mind, give someone an earful, give someone a roasting, give someone a rocket, give someone a rollicking British informal have a go at, carpet, give someone what for, let someone have it North American informal chew out, ream out British vulgar slang bollock, give someone a bollocking
informal Used to express dismay when something unfortunate has happened to disrupt one's plans. Oops, that's torn it. Costa Rica have scored again Example sentencesExamples - ‘Oh crikey, that's torn it,’ she thought, but looked up to find all eyes fixed on a line of grotesques trooping into view.
Phrasal Verbs tear someone/something apart 1Destroy something, especially good relations between people. a bloody civil war had torn the country apart Example sentencesExamples - Between 1642 and 1646 England was torn apart by a bloody civil war.
- Its bloody battle tore the country apart through the 1990s.
- And isn't there a risk it would tear your relationship apart?
- Reading John Vidal's article, I thought about people I know, including relatives, whose lives have been torn apart because of the wishes of a ruthless dictator…
- ‘Paradise’ is a classic Eyedea track about how being too close in a relationship can tear a couple apart.
- For example, in some cases, as $m rises past some optimum, the flow of energy starts to tear the system apart, to destroy order.
- The Cypriot refugees' hope for peace reflects the attitude of many of their compatriots now facing the most significant development to affect them since a bloody war tore their country apart in 1974.
- Today, I am pleased that positive debate has ended much of the historical bickering that was tearing the industry apart and opening the door for other tourism destinations to welcome visitors we wanted here.
- I imagine that sort of thing ruins lives, destroys marriages, tears families apart, and so on.
- It would, perhaps, be an exaggeration to say that the worsening Hindu-Muslim divide in India threatens to tear the country apart, but certainly relations between the country's two major communities are as bad as they have ever been.
Synonyms divide, split, split down the middle, sever, break apart, disunite, rupture stop crying—it's tearing me apart Example sentencesExamples - She tore me apart, demeaning me and bruising my ego greatly.
- Strained, muffled cries, sobs that pierced the air and pierced my heart, small whimpers that tore me apart, but from what?
- It was tearing her apart to have to choose and to see Liz hurt was the last thing in the world Brett wanted.
- It tears you apart and destroys your spirit.
- Leaving this life and Hannah behind - the thought was already hurting him, tearing him apart.
- Fortunately, her hits were weak and so they never hurt him physically; emotionally he was torn apart.
- Love hurt, it tore you apart, it destroyed lives and hearts and everything.
- She can't because it would tear her apart to see her parents hurt so much.
- The fact that Sen would be getting hurt in the end tore him apart.
- I couldn't be responsible for his harm, I just couldn't: it would tear me apart.
3Criticize someone or something harshly. Mum tore us apart with a real tongue-lashing Example sentencesExamples - Critic Pauline Kael tore Gimme Shelter apart, charging that the Maysles, along with editor and co-director Charlotte Zwerin, were involved in arranging the entire debacle, and that the resulting film was a sham.
- Each should stop tearing him apart and respect the rights of the other women.
- And they will judge us, denounce us and tear us apart again.
- Afterward, half-a-dozen young philosophy students went up to her and, being incredibly nasty and critical, tore her apart for the way she had delivered the talk.
- Our worst fears about the more extreme critics tearing CIA apart when the new administration came in proved groundless.
- All you critics out there better not tear me apart or I'll kill you!
- It makes us feel the disparate forces that tear the man apart.
- I thought when I ran against him 4 years ago, he just tore me apart.
- Please don't tear us apart until after we get back.
- If you so much as gently criticize him, they'll tear you apart.
often with negativeLeave despite a strong desire to stay. she couldn't tear herself away from the view Example sentencesExamples - I tore myself away from the desk this morning and went to watch my girls swim.
- It's messy and scary, but you can't tear yourself away.
- So, I finally tore myself away from the newspaper.
- It was quite a difficult job tearing myself away but I got a bad score on British History so I had a small tantrum and gave up.
- I suppose you can tear yourself away between the end of a panel and the beginning of a tea…
- If you just can't tear yourself away, consider staying for dinner in the Ahwahnee Dining Room (jackets required).
- Finally, she tears herself away from her cartoons long enough to remember our drinks.
- I tore myself away from the little screen to make some effort at getting my notes together for my class.
- Reluctantly, I tore myself away from the computer and went into the bedroom.
- I tore myself away for a moment to find the remote control.
tear someone/something down 1Demolish something, especially a building. they tore down an old barn for lumber Example sentencesExamples - In 2003, there was a strong market for old houses, for which foreign buyers were paying 15 000 to 20 000 euro with the idea of tearing them down and building new ones.
- This involves building walls and tearing them down.
- In the past five years, 15,000 buildings have been torn down in the city, more than 1,000 of them over a century old.
- Then after the day's filming her team had to rush back to the set they made last week to quickly tear it down, as the building it is housed in is scheduled for demolition today.
- India grows more prosperous, the outside world enters willy-nilly, old buildings are torn down.
- Now Croydon was much like I remembered it, only some of the old buildings had been torn down and other buildings put up.
- Roughly 400 historical buildings have been torn down in the recent past, including beauties like the Hotel ‘Moskwa’.
- Now, most of the buildings have been torn down, and the place is a sprawling park with 9,000 trees.
- Old, rundown buildings are torn down to make way for the new.
- The structure will incorporate a mansion on that corner which is protected as a historical site, but a four-storey building on Clark will be torn down.
Synonyms demolish, knock down, pull down, raze, raze to the ground, flatten, level, bulldoze 2Criticize or punish someone severely. they tear a man down and threaten him and then they give him another chance Example sentencesExamples - Or was he a cruel and egotistical monster who tore people down to build himself up?
- Third, find a supportive community that validates and uplifts you instead of tearing you down.
- There's a lot here we don't know but there's some that we've learned in recent weeks that does suggest that they really were out to get Wilson or criticize him or tear him down a bit.
- People with blind opinions, following a certain train of thought with no consideration for forming a 3-dimensional argument are just as content to tear another person down because of his or her political or personal beliefs.
- I was so successful that they tore me down because my album was at number 2 instead of number 1.
- They try to build themselves up by tearing other people down, try to make them seem immoral or bad or wrong for being the way God made them.
- Anytime there's any threat to their power, they tear people down.
- I think they decided that rather than tearing him down, they wanted to build him up.
- Tonight you said that the politics of lifting people up beats the politics of tearing people down!
- They really tore him down so he had no choice but to come out at midnight and do something to repair his image.
she tore into him: ‘Don't you realize what you've done to me?’ Example sentencesExamples - Dáily Mirror columnist Sue Carroll tore into Jonsson's decision not to name her attacker.
- I immediately tried to call Melissa to find out what the scoop was before I tore into Bob who I assumed had planned merry bird adventures instead of working at the store.
- In a blow to power station owners Parkview, the panel not only warned that the stability of the roofless building was in danger, but tore into the company's plans for it as an exclusive retail and hotel complex.
- Nasser Hussain had a reputation for verbally tearing into his bowlers, and Hoggard was one of his victims.
- But on August 24, a day before its delegation left for the earth summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, the government tore into the report.
- The Tracey Review tore into Captain Toohey's reasoning and his explosive conclusions, and this is the report the Government released last night.
- The 20-year-old veered off the script and tore into New Labour, politely but firmly telling the most powerful man in Britain he was wrong, as he sat across the table.
- Liddiment tore into the BBC, accusing it of becoming too populist and warning director-general Greg Dyke and his lieutenants to get their tanks off the ITV lawn.
- And on the back of his authority's top-rating, East Riding Tory leader Stephen Parnaby last night tore into Mr Clarke for misrepresenting the authority.
- The St Augustine MP also tore into Government's social sector programmes, particularly those targeting the development of the family.
Synonyms attack, assail, hit, strike, let fly at, lay into, lash out at, set about, set upon, fall on, turn on, assault, beat, thrash, pound, pummel, wallop, hammer, pounce on, round on, pelt, drub rebuke, reprimand, reproach, reprove, admonish, remonstrate with, chastise, chide, upbraid, take to task, pull up, castigate, lambaste, read someone the Riot Act, give someone a piece of one's mind, go on at, haul over the coals, criticize, censure informal lace into, sail into, pitch into, let someone have it, get stuck into, paste, do over, knock about/around, rough up British informal have a go at 2Make an energetic or enthusiastic start on. a jazz trio are tearing into the tune with gusto Example sentencesExamples - Holding the edge following a 9-8 triumph at Meadowbank a year ago, the Scots tore into attack.
- When Willie learns that the other kids beat him up, we see him tearing into the biggest kid, giving him a serious pounding up against a tree while the other kids scatter, and still others, on their bikes, stare in disbelief.
- He struck the ball with ferocity, tearing into the Lincoln attack with relish.
- And it was the solid base provided by Nash and his defensive colleagues that enabled City's attackers to tear into Norwich in the second half.
- The 33-year-old Kaluwitharana, playing his first Test in two years, justified his selection by tearing into the Kiwi attack with 13 boundaries.
- Darren Lehmann, coming in at 73 for four, decided attack was the best form of defence, and he tore into Simon Francis, smashing him for 32 from the first nine balls.
- Bernard was more patient in his knock, but Breese did not want to return on Monday, and with this in mind, he tore into the Guyana attack and raced his side to their target.
- All the while he's hitting the high notes, tears into the three-guitar attack and basically whips the crowd into an intoxicated frenzy.
- Solanki and Bell, who could be competing for the same place once England are back at full strength, tore into the inexperienced seam attack while the fielding restrictions were in place.
- The lights dimmed and the Dolls came out and tore into one of their anthems, ‘Personality Crisis.’
Derivatives adjective So, this new process allows the production of labels having for example tearable and non-tearable parts, permanent, repositionable and neutral adhesive parts, opaque and transparent parts, etc. Example sentencesExamples - Pro-Gaff is waterproof, abrasion resistant, and has a smooth, controlled unwind, and is hand tearable.
- Tena Pants Plus are put on just like normal underwear, but have a tearable side seam to make them easy to remove.
- Each first tearable line of separation is offset with respect to the second tearable line of separation.
- Thus, the tearable tape system renders the packaging material easy to open, and provides a convenient handle following opening.
noun ˈtɛːrəˈtɛrər Perforated unit pages would have made removal easier, but careful tearers should not have too much difficulty removing them from this paper-backed book. Example sentencesExamples - ‘Good evening, enjoy your movie,’ the ticket tearer said robotically.
- A relatively longer time has probably elapsed before the tearer managed to take hold of these fibres.
- This ticket tearer could very well design a new type of car, or write a best-selling book, if they had the time.
- Customer service people should not be simply data entry technicians, and gate agents are not just ticket tearers, that is, unless they let the computers be the boss.
Origin Old English teran, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch teren and German zehren, from an Indo-European root shared by Greek derein 'flay'. The noun dates from the early 17th century. The word tear meaning ‘to pull apart’ is found in Old English. To tear someone off a strip, or rebuke them angrily as if by pulling off a strip of their skin, was originally RAF slang, and is recorded from the 1940s. The tear that you shed in distress is a different word, still Old English. The expression without tears, for learning, first appears in the title of a book for children published in 1857 Reading without Tears or, A pleasant method of learning to read. Terence Rattigan borrowed the phrase for the title of his 1937 play French Without Tears. The person whose works were first called tearjerkers, in 1921, was James Whitcomb Riley, a US writer known for sentimental poems such as ‘Little Orphan Annie’. See also crocodile
Rhymes affair, affaire, air, Altair, Althusser, Anvers, Apollinaire, Astaire, aware, Ayer, Ayr, bare, bear, bêche-de-mer, beware, billionaire, Blair, blare, Bonaire, cafetière, care, chair, chargé d'affaires, chemin de fer, Cher, Clair, Claire, Clare, commissionaire, compare, concessionaire, cordon sanitaire, couvert, Daguerre, dare, debonair, declare, derrière, despair, doctrinaire, éclair, e'er, elsewhere, ensnare, ere, extraordinaire, Eyre, fair, fare, fayre, Finisterre, flair, flare, Folies-Bergère, forbear, forswear, foursquare, glair, glare, hair, hare, heir, Herr, impair, jardinière, Khmer, Kildare, La Bruyère, lair, laissez-faire, legionnaire, luminaire, mal de mer, mare, mayor, meunière, mid-air, millionaire, misère, Mon-Khmer, multimillionaire, ne'er, Niger, nom de guerre, outstare, outwear, pair, pare, parterre, pear, père, pied-à-terre, Pierre, plein-air, prayer, questionnaire, rare, ready-to-wear, rivière, Rosslare, Santander, savoir faire, scare, secretaire, share, snare, solitaire, Soufrière, spare, square, stair, stare, surface-to-air, swear, Tailleferre, tare, their, there, they're, vin ordinaire, Voltaire, ware, wear, Weston-super-Mare, where, yeah adhere, Agadir, Anglosphere, appear, arrear, auctioneer, austere, balladeer, bandolier, Bashkir, beer, besmear, bier, blear, bombardier, brigadier, buccaneer, cameleer, career, cashier, cavalier, chandelier, charioteer, cheer, chevalier, chiffonier, clavier, clear, Coetzee, cohere, commandeer, conventioneer, Cordelier, corsetière, Crimea, dear, deer, diarrhoea (US diarrhea), domineer, Dorothea, drear, ear, electioneer, emir, endear, engineer, fear, fleer, Freer, fusilier, gadgeteer, Galatea, gazetteer, gear, gondolier, gonorrhoea (US gonorrhea), Greer, grenadier, hand-rear, hear, here, Hosea, idea, interfere, Izmir, jeer, Judaea, Kashmir, Keir, kir, Korea, Lear, leer, Maria, marketeer, Medea, Meir, Melilla, mere, Mia, Mir, mishear, mountaineer, muleteer, musketeer, mutineer, near, orienteer, pamphleteer, panacea, paneer, peer, persevere, pier, Pierre, pioneer, pistoleer, privateer, profiteer, puppeteer, racketeer, ratafia, rear, revere, rhea, rocketeer, Sapir, scrutineer, sear, seer, sere, severe, Shamir, shear, sheer, sincere, smear, sneer, sonneteer, souvenir, spear, sphere, steer, stere, summiteer, Tangier, tier, Trier, Tyr, veer, veneer, Vere, Vermeer, vizier, volunteer, Wear, weir, we're, year, Zaïre noun tɪətɪr A drop of clear salty liquid secreted from glands in a person's eye when they cry or when the eye is irritated. a tear rolled down her cheek she burst into tears and stormed off Example sentencesExamples - And then he burst into tears, asking why everyone hated him so much.
- Then I burst into tears and ran out of the office.
- Catherine burst into tears of relief when she saw her result posted on the college information board, and so did her parents when she phoned them at home in Old Trafford.
- Worse still, when the singer finishes they are often overcome with emotion, as they burst into tears and then hug everyone around them.
- She looked down at the chicks and up at their parents, and burst into tears.
- The daughter restrains her tears and continues to look at her mother.
- And for the first year or two, you burst into tears at times when you run into a reminder of it, and then the Lord kind of heals you.
- Elaine wiped her tears away as she continued to look at her daughter and Nicholas.
- Keirah only shook her head and tears continued to flow down her cheeks.
- I watched as several of my colleagues panicked or burst into tears.
- I snort, not knowing whether to burst into tears or roll on the ground, howling with laughter.
- At that moment, the young woman next to me in the theater burst into tears.
- She held the tears back and continued observing, blinking a few times so her vision could clear.
- Sheree continued to hold him tenderly from behind as he continued to sob heart-wrenching tears.
- Thus the tears continue as unanswered questions abound.
- She hadn't noticed James in the doorway as she continued to fight her tears.
- As we stood between rows and rows of dresses that looked more like housecoats, her tears continued to flow.
- She did not feel she fitted in anywhere and she burst into tears.
- I don't know what happened then, no doubt I burst into tears and if I didn't go looking for mummy she would have come looking for me.
- Sensing his fury, one of his granddaughters burst into tears.
verbtore, torn tɪətɪr [no object]US (of the eye) produce tears. the freezing wind made her eyes tear Example sentencesExamples - The mother nodded, eyes tearing, turned away, and took time to regain control before she went back to the bedside.
- Missy's view started to get blurry; she realized her eyes were tearing up.
- Her breathing was faster now, and her eyes were tearing up.
- Gunther's eyes started tearing up after mentioning Angel's name.
- He released her arm and fell to the ground, eyes tearing up in pain.
- I had a tremendous feeling of fear, cold chills, and my eyes were tearing up.
- Gleason's face twists with pain, his eyes are tearing!
- Soon her eyes were tearing and Kyle had joined in, laughing too.
- I twisted my wrist from his grip, eyes tearing for the second time this month, and glared at him murderously.
- Marisa and Helaina fell to the ground, eyes tearing… silently laughing-ya know when you laugh so hard nothing comes out?
- Her face was red and I imagined her eyes were tearing from the pressure.
- His eyes were tearing, and she could see a wrecked, distressed look in them and could tell he wanted nothing more to do with this.
- Lexie bit her lip, eyes tearing up, trying not to scream from the pain.
- My eyes tear up as I remember this hurtful tragedy.
- My eyes were tearing and my mouth was full of little particles.
- My face was red, I couldn't breathe and my eyes were tearing.
- I looked up to find Trischen staring at me, his eyes tearing from the laughter he was futilely trying to keeping in.
- ‘This is probably the last time I will ever see you,’ he said, eyes tearing up.
- Mom looks at me, her eyes are tearing up, yet her face is cold.
- She hugged her knees close to her chest, her eyes tearing up again.
Phrases he was so hurt by her attitude he was nearly in tears Example sentencesExamples - He knew something had gone terribly wrong when a nurse ran past in tears.
- Mrs Griffiths left the court in tears as Dr White said he had to live with the realisation that he had caused her death.
- In fact, even people who weren't particularly close to her ended up in tears.
- Hugging their flags, their heads bowed, men and women were in tears as they quickly made their way home.
- I showed him the car so that he knew I wasn't lying to him, and he was nearly in tears.
- I certainly did not expect to spend the first day of my honeymoon in tears.
- Police said afterwards that Mr Croxford's family was in tears and too upset to talk to the press.
- When the former bride finally saw an image of the painting, she was nearly in tears.
- Residents were calling the police in tears after their cars were targeted during a late night rampage.
- I kept falling over, and in places I got so annoyed with myself that I was nearly in tears.
Synonyms crying, weeping, sobbing, wailing, howling, bawling, whimpering
(of a subject) presented so as to be learned or achieved easily. Example sentencesExamples - Seminars will tackle issues such as funding business growth, reducing business risk, running IT systems without tears and best practice for human resource management.
- The result is history without tears, something palatable and likely to be highly popular, but it isn't in essence a perversion of the truth.
- Read the Revenue's six tips on completing your Return without tears and the ten most common Tax Return mistakes, and get it right next time!
Derivatives noun tɛːtɛr 1A hole or split in something caused by it having been pulled apart forcefully. there was a tear in her dress Example sentencesExamples - He was transferred to Leeds General Infirmary where he underwent surgery to repair a tear to a major blood vessel.
- Dundee had exaggerated the tear, by pulling the horsehair from the glove.
- She watched him slowly stitch the tear, pulling the needle carefully through the fabric.
- It looks as if Beltraw went on a rampage here - there are tears and holes in the wall, with a door torn of its hinges.
- The photographs show tears in fabric pulled apart to look like wounds, or pieces of metal depicted so they seem organic.
- Holes, rips, tears and flaking paint are no riddles for Mr. Warrier and his team.
- If the vitreous is exceptionally adherent to a weak point on the retina, a tear, hole, or detachment may develop.
- You were not able to check whether there were any splits or tears in the lead in the parapet gutter?
- Those with severe nearsightedness are more prone to developing retinal tears, holes or detachments.
- Brown speckles litter most of the leaves, as do occasional tears and holes.
- Flashes and floaters may occur when the vitreous jelly pulls on or tears on the retina.
- I cut out almost two dozen over the next 10 minutes, rolling and stretching where I must, patching a hole, a tear, a crack.
- Although the sheet was rumpled and a tear had split down the side, I recognized it immediately.
- The shockwave of the nuclear blast ripped apart a new tear in the tectonic plates under Britain.
- Every few moments he checked the cloud cover for punctures or tears, any hole that might afford him a glimpse.
- Areas where this has not been done and which are getting trafficked should be checked and tears / holes overlaid and taped with the same material.
- An emergency laparotomy was performed revealing 6 litres of free blood and a tear in the posterior aspect of the spleen.
- She had put on her junky jeans that had holes and tears in it along with her ratty old black T-shirt.
- When changes due to myopia are present as diagnosed by the eye doctor, the retina is thin and can develop tears, holes and detachment.
- A jagged tear split his shirt up one side, the faded red fabric parting to reveal the grimy ladder of his ribs.
Synonyms rip, hole, split, rent, cut, slash, slit 2US informal A brief spell of erratic or unrestrained behaviour; a binge or spree. one of my drinking buddies came for the weekend and we went on a tear Example sentencesExamples - That will either mean I have a quiet day because she'll be zonked or she'll be on a tear.
- 2.1 A spell of great success or excellence in performance.
he went on a tear, winning three out of every four hands Example sentencesExamples - Marriott is now on a tear to add 1,000 more properties worldwide by 2003.
- All season long many in the garage were waiting for Newman and Borland to go on a tear and reel off a few consecutive wins… but it never happened.
- He missed one game - one game - and then went on a tear in which he totaled 191 points in five games over 12 days.
- Continuing on my creative tear, I designed a new costume for myself.
- Many factories are on a tear, with business they haven't seen since 2000
- Dell is on a tear now, but maintaining that clip could be tough
- Mexican stocks have been on a tear, and some see more room to run
- It's beginning to look like the U.S. economy is on a tear.
- The Celtics won eight of their first 12 games after the departure of coach Rick Pitino, and SF Paul Pierce has been on a tear.
- You can even make a decent argument that technology will continue its tear for a while.
- After the acrimony and misunderstanding of June, RF Sammy Sosa went on a tear for the rest of the season and had another monster year.
- Imports have been on a tear since the mid-1980s, and it doesn't look like they're going to let up any time soon.
- Brett went on a tear after the All-Star break in 1980.
- O'Neal had been fouled hard, but that hardly mattered after he was tossed and Portland center Arvydas Sabonis went on a tear to seal the victory.
- DE Corey Redding finished the regular season on a tear but may not have a home in a 3-4 defense.
- One, real estate investment trusts are another part of the market that have been on a tear in recent years.
- Despite the absence of CF Ken Griffey Jr., who was slated to bat in front of him and a lineup that had no consistency, Casey was on a tear.
- This past session, for example, the court continued its tear, issuing several opinions that further limit federal power.
- If Randa hits like he did in the second half, and Lopez was to continue his tear, they would have one of the more formidable offenses in baseball.
- Joe Katzman has been on a tear over at Winds of Change.
Origin Old English tēar, of Germanic origin; related to German Zähre, from an Indo-European root shared by Old Latin dacruma (Latin lacrima) and Greek dakru. verbtertɛr 1with object and adverbial Pull or rip (something) apart or to pieces with force. Example sentencesExamples - It's only a matter of time before the spell's protection will fade and her human body be torn apart by the force of gravity, so Orphen has to act quickly.
- I will write lines of poetry on the back of bus tickets and envelopes, and then I will tear them into tiny pieces and watch them flutter to the ground.
- All the talk about foxes being torn to pieces misses the point, he says.
- Shane started to scribble on a piece of tissue, when Max grabbed it and tore it into pieces.
- Imagine a bomb exploding next to a body, tearing it into little pieces.
- I've read horrifying stories of what happens when a child is aborted, babies being torn to pieces inside the womb, then sucked out, etc etc.
- As I watch them writhe in simulated pain, a young punk comes along and grabs some cardboard from the ground and starts tearing it into tiny pieces.
- Two years later I found that note and tore it into tiny pieces.
- I tear these things into pieces and put them in a pile of little white wads on the table.
- Out of anger I wanted to tear it into pieces and throw it into trash can, but instead I put it in the drawer of my desk after controlling my temper.
- The plane was apparently torn apart before it burned, killing the pilot and copilot.
- She then helped Nasywa and three other infants touch pieces of paper, tearing them up and pasting them on another sheet.
- He pulled up another piece of grass and tore it in half down the middle.
- His body was torn apart and pieces of mangled flesh were sent in all directions.
- Grabbing the notes from the bed, she began to tear them into small pieces.
- The crew cabin was torn apart in 24 seconds, the report says.
- Roughly tear the cos into pieces and place in a large salad bowl.
- After the beheading, William Wallace's body was torn to pieces.
- It is the end of the hunt when the animal is torn to pieces that the majority of people do not like.
- Dispose of all receipts securely by tearing them into pieces before throwing them away.
Synonyms rip up, rip in two, pull apart, pull to pieces, shred - 1.1 Remove by pulling or ripping forcefully.
he tore up the floorboards Joe tore the sack from her hand Example sentencesExamples - So I'm not surprised to hear that they're not planning to kill the lion that tore off the arm of the twenty one year old zookeeper.
- He tore off the filters and stuck them in his ears, just before the shock wave of guitar noise crashed down over the bar.
- I wandered out into the hall and found the guy who tore off our ticket stubs sitting next to an empty table with Calla CDs.
- He tore off the wrappings and started to work it… and nothing happened.
- As he tore off the pull tab, brown foam gushed out over his hand and down the front of his work togs.
- I tore off part of a page and wrote my name and telephone numbers on it.
- He had nearly finished his Classic Comic, only to find that the last few pages had been torn out.
- His face was dark and angry, and in one motion, he tore off his vest, and pulled me around, letting me see.
- While he tore off bits of fish, his family cried pathetically for a bite.
- A couple of Nainotlam volumes are missing and pages have been torn out from another.
- But Michael said, ‘She'll be fine,’ and he tore off a new wad of cotton.
- Each night, when Em said good night, she tore off a page so Margaret could keep track of the date.
- ‘He tore off one of my diamond earrings so it ripped my ear and blood was pouring down my neck,’ she said.
- Firing several more shots in quick succession he tore off the magazine, pulled another out of his pouch and pushed it into the recess.
- Rather football followers should delight in the euphoria of Thierry Henry, who tore off his shirt and twirled it joyously around his head.
- Near Kut some 2,500 Republican Guards tore off their boots and helmets before surrendering to the Americans.
- When I tore off two sheets, there was no second folding, no second wiping.
- Baird's diaries make no mention of her, though a few pages have been torn out.
- Ivan tore off his sleeve and wrapped it around the wound on Joan's arm.
- Winds of 120 mph and drenching rain tore off rooftops, hurled debris through the air and sent huge waves crashing into buildings.
Synonyms snatch, grab, seize, rip, wrench, wrest, pull, pluck - 1.2 Make a hole or split in (something) by pulling it or piercing it with a sharp implement.
she was always tearing her clothes Example sentencesExamples - It also works well for nail repairs, say if you split or tear a nail, to glue it back together.
- He still wore green-brown clothes, but they weren't torn, and his fur was golden and his claws much more straight.
- Teeth tearing my flesh, breaking my heart, devouring my mind, losing myself!
- He examines himself, he has no scars, his clothes aren't torn, his chest has no gaping hole
- The plaster and wallpaper were all torn and broken in more places then were normal.
- From where he was standing, he could see the cloaking fabric torn by the missile explosion and the falling boulders what seemed like hours ago.
- His clothes lay torn a few feet away.
- Be careful not to tear the plastic or break the aluminum strip.
- Bulimics can rot their teeth (due to the gastric acid in vomit), tear their oesophagus and rupture their stomach.
- Her black hair got tangled in overhanging vines and brambles tugged at her clothes, tearing them in small rips and holes, and sometimes managing to scratch her across the face.
- Parts of the huts were torn and cracked in some places and it looked as if an army had swept through and annihilated the whole place.
- The edges of the hole snagged and tore his robes, scratching him all over.
- His flannel button town shirt was torn and his jeans sported more holes than Swiss cheese.
- A bullet tearing the fabric on his shoulder told him that here was not the place to do it.
- He had a gaping hole in his abdomen where bone had torn his flesh away.
- Bones were snapped, skin was torn, and arrows were poking through chests and backs - black arrows.
- The front of his jersey is always dirty and the knees of his pants are frequently torn.
- Of course what they failed to realise is that a Goth Club is the least likely place for a fight in the world - wouldn't want to break a nail or tear your new PVC outfit would you?
- His pants were also torn and ragged at the bottom and there were various holes and rips in them.
- The quake was so massive, the ground cracked, houses split, roads were torn.
Synonyms rip, ladder, snag lacerate, cut, cut open, cut to pieces, cut to ribbons, gash, slash, scratch, claw, mangle, mutilate, hack, pierce, stab - 1.3 Make (a hole or split) in something by force.
the blast tore a hole in the wall Example sentencesExamples - We have to pay very careful attention to all the projecting pieces of equipment: we don't want to damage anything or to tear a hole in our spacesuits.
- If she doesn't stop the one below her from tearing a greater hole in the floor, she will die.
- The Pilgrims poured into the great gaping hole Nukurren was tearing in the Utuku center, ululating, their mantles blue and black.
- She grabbed a corner and they both pulled, tearing a bigger hole in the pillow.
- Marcia let out a little yelp as he let go of the branch too soon and it tore yet another hole in her skirt.
- There was now a massive hole torn in the mangled roof of the pod.
- She changed into her black System of a Down shirt and a pair of white jeans that had a hole torn into both knees.
- Bullet holes tore only small dents in the walls and Alyssa's grenade left a large black mark in the middle of the wall.
- You know we'll keep pushing the outside of the envelope until we tear a great big hole in it - it's the American way.
- A hole torn in the main street was later found to contain two large semi-trailers.
- A hole has been torn in the thin veil of ozone just above the Antarctic.
- Then there was a single gunshot, and a chair right beside me blew back, a hole torn through it.
- Though they came close when they stole a crane and deposited a Volkswagen Beetle in the Guest room by dint of tearing a huge hole in the roof.
- The blast at the consulate tore a hole in the ground six feet deep and nine feet wide and set trees on fire.
- The blast tore a hole in the floor of the car under the driver's seat.
- His AC - 47 gunship was hit by enemy fire that tore more than 3,500 holes in the fuselage.
- The bolts were not tightened and tore wider holes in the deck with the result that we almost lost the whole top in the water.
- Its thorns latched on and tore holes in our flesh leaving gaps of salty disbelief.
- Cut outside showing Jake's airship firing several lasers into the hole torn into the ship in its initial pass.
- Her taloned nails dug into to fabric and tore holes in it.
- 1.4no object Come apart; rip.
the material wouldn't tear Example sentencesExamples - Avoid plastic because of discomfort and their tendency to tear quickly, thus decreasing their usefulness.
- It began to tear slowly but not quickly enough as we collapsed onto the wood and rolled across the splintered planks.
- 1.5 Damage (a muscle or ligament) by overstretching it.
he tore a ligament playing squash Example sentencesExamples - The more common of these include spraining or tearing one or more ligaments, tearing the meniscus or straining a tendon or muscle.
- ‘We had a bicep tendon that was torn, ligament tears in the rotator cuff and something in the scapula as well,’ he said.
- He accidentally put his right hand through a glass door, tearing tendons and ligaments and putting him out of the sport for eight months, just as his talent was starting to bloom.
- Sprains can be mild or severe, depending on whether the ligaments were stretched or torn.
- In a sprain, the ligaments may have been overstretched, twisted or torn.
- My left quad muscles were completely torn, including the ligaments.
- It wasn't until they opened him up that the damage was revealed: Alexander had torn his right pectoral muscle in four different places.
- With enough force, the coracoclavicular ligaments also will be torn, and the deltotrapezial fascia injured or detached.
- However, things took a sudden turn for the worse the summer before his senior season when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
- The shock of the fall had traumatized my spine, causing temporary paralysis, and tearing my back muscles.
- Hours before the ride began, he slipped and fell, tearing all of the ligaments in his right hand.
- Dilfer will be lost for 4-8 weeks after tearing the medial collateral ligament in his right knee.
- With the heavy weight used for the barbell buddy curls, a muscle can be torn relatively easily if you don't control the movement.
- He missed four games last season after tearing his posterior cruciate ligament, but he is completely healed.
- He tore his biceps muscle on the third play of 2000, and the K.C. running game never recovered.
- Examinations cleared Oliver of extensive damage to his hamstring, but they also revealed that he had torn his anterior cruciate ligament.
- LaFrentz is playing on a reconstructed left knee, rebuilt after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament last season.
- He tore his hamstring tendon graft while skiing at 5 months after electrothermal shrinkage.
- Visible scars sometimes form after the skin has been broken, but you can also have scars on your internal organs, for example where you have a torn a muscle or where a cut has been made during surgery.
- CB Brian Kelly says he has regained all of the strength he lost when he tore his left pectoral muscle last season.
2informal no object, with adverbial of direction Move very quickly in a reckless or excited manner. she tore along the footpath on her bike Example sentencesExamples - Yes, it's a slightly bumpy ride on my trusty bike, but I'm grateful that some vehicle drivers can no longer tear along at high speeds.
- Besides churning up the meadows, the vandals have been tearing along paths and dirt tracks.
- The young boy from the left wing tore across the library, turning over every table and fire lit lamp as he did so.
- Robin and SpellCaster tore across the parking lot in record time.
- Gravel sprayed behind him as he tore along the drive, aiming for the great iron gates ahead.
- Zan watches his kids as they tear around the yard.
- She had just waved her off on to the No 66 to Maynooth and was standing against the wall of the Clarence Hotel when the bus came tearing along the pavement.
- I don't know how long I had been laying there, but soon I heard a car fly into the drive way and someone tear through the house and upstairs, yelling my name.
- Then the cancer struck and quickly began tearing through his body.
- After applying a little lipstick in front of the mirror quickly, I tore down the hallway, Angelina at my heals.
- They say riders tearing along pavements in the area have sent pensioners and mothers, pushing children in prams, sprawling.
- The three Weimeraners were left trapped indoors as flames tore through the house in Warren Road, Banstead, at around 3pm.
- Then you see little Robert on a hyper streak, tearing around the house, only to be calmed by his gran showing him how to load a revolver - one of a stash of six guns.
- I was so excited about it that I tore through my house Friday night, looking for the perfect picture from which to paint from.
- Most of the album tears along at a relentless and brutal pace, it is far, far heavier than any of their previous offerings.
- Otherwise they start around nine or nine thirty, when I'm woken up by the kids that I live with tearing around the house and shouting.
- Reckless drivers who tear around the streets of Bradford face having their vehicles seized under new police powers.
- Through the billowing spray their sails can be seen far out in the deep swell, tearing along at improbable speed and leaping high over the waves.
- I tore along the ditch, as the car was struggling to stay in control.
- Already there have been noisy motorbikes tearing along the path (photographs available), but Mr Neale lives well away and so is not exposed to the noise.
Synonyms sprint, race, run, dart, rush, dash, hasten, hurry, scurry, scuttle, scamper, hare, bolt, bound, fly, gallop, career, charge, pound, shoot, hurtle, speed, streak, flash, whizz, zoom, sweep, go like lightning, go hell for leather, go like the wind 3be tornBe in a state of uncertainty between two conflicting options or parties. he was torn between his duty and his better instincts Example sentencesExamples - I was torn between admiration and contempt - the latter because street radicalism often seems poised to collapse into narcissistic posturing.
- Carroll plays the devoted and over-worked teaching Brother who is torn between the love he feels for his students and despair at his wavering faith.
- Yet, once she discovers the magnitude of his violent side, she is torn between keeping his secret, or telling his parents.
- As a popularly elected leader, he was torn between the opposing demands of different sections of society, and in the end satisfied nobody.
- Tonight was homecoming and she was torn between excitement and dread.
- But Olga told me that, when she was a child, she was torn between skating or ballet, so I thought I'd give her a chance…
- The undecided are torn between the pros and cons of both candidates.
- Initially Brown was torn between pursuing professional success and his literary interests.
- Marguerite was torn between a fit of laughter, or bursting into tears.
- Her daughter, Mary, is torn between Margaret's unhappiness at being out of her home and the advice of the safety experts and authorities who say it is not safe for her to return.
- Joseph was torn between clinging to the ways of his forefathers and accommodating the new spirit of the age that could not long be resisted without violence.
- An idealistic young detective takes an undercover assignment in a theatre but is torn between catching the killer or the thrill of performance.
- Got there, I was torn between Pride and a small rebellious party called the Gay Mutiny…
- Confused and upset, she was torn between the wish to adhere to the Australian legal system and the powerful love of her husband.
- The family of British hostage Norman Kember was torn between new hope and old fears last night after his kidnappers confirmed he is still alive - but repeated their threat to kill him.
- When his best friend gets involved in a street clash, Ricky is torn between past loyalties and his desire to start a new life with his girlfriend.
- This set-up doesn't sit well with Plath, who is torn between adoring her husband and resenting his success.
- Frightened and isolated, his letter shows his confusion as he is torn between denial and acceptance.
- Watching it, I was torn between schadenfreude - this couldn't happen to a nicer fella - and toe-curling embarrassment.
- By ten that morning, I was torn between being totally excited and just plain sad.
Synonyms torment, torture, rack, harrow, wring, lacerate
nountertɛr 1A hole or split in something caused by it having been pulled apart forcefully. there was a tear in her dress Example sentencesExamples - She had put on her junky jeans that had holes and tears in it along with her ratty old black T-shirt.
- Areas where this has not been done and which are getting trafficked should be checked and tears / holes overlaid and taped with the same material.
- Those with severe nearsightedness are more prone to developing retinal tears, holes or detachments.
- He was transferred to Leeds General Infirmary where he underwent surgery to repair a tear to a major blood vessel.
- An emergency laparotomy was performed revealing 6 litres of free blood and a tear in the posterior aspect of the spleen.
- The shockwave of the nuclear blast ripped apart a new tear in the tectonic plates under Britain.
- Although the sheet was rumpled and a tear had split down the side, I recognized it immediately.
- A jagged tear split his shirt up one side, the faded red fabric parting to reveal the grimy ladder of his ribs.
- You were not able to check whether there were any splits or tears in the lead in the parapet gutter?
- Dundee had exaggerated the tear, by pulling the horsehair from the glove.
- Flashes and floaters may occur when the vitreous jelly pulls on or tears on the retina.
- Brown speckles litter most of the leaves, as do occasional tears and holes.
- I cut out almost two dozen over the next 10 minutes, rolling and stretching where I must, patching a hole, a tear, a crack.
- It looks as if Beltraw went on a rampage here - there are tears and holes in the wall, with a door torn of its hinges.
- When changes due to myopia are present as diagnosed by the eye doctor, the retina is thin and can develop tears, holes and detachment.
- Every few moments he checked the cloud cover for punctures or tears, any hole that might afford him a glimpse.
- If the vitreous is exceptionally adherent to a weak point on the retina, a tear, hole, or detachment may develop.
- She watched him slowly stitch the tear, pulling the needle carefully through the fabric.
- Holes, rips, tears and flaking paint are no riddles for Mr. Warrier and his team.
- The photographs show tears in fabric pulled apart to look like wounds, or pieces of metal depicted so they seem organic.
Synonyms rip, hole, split, rent, cut, slash, slit 2US informal A brief spell of erratic or unrestrained behavior; a binge or spree. one of my drinking buddies came for the weekend and we went on a tear Example sentencesExamples - That will either mean I have a quiet day because she'll be zonked or she'll be on a tear.
- 2.1 A spell of great success or excellence in performance.
he went on a tear, winning three out of every four hands Example sentencesExamples - All season long many in the garage were waiting for Newman and Borland to go on a tear and reel off a few consecutive wins… but it never happened.
- One, real estate investment trusts are another part of the market that have been on a tear in recent years.
- It's beginning to look like the U.S. economy is on a tear.
- O'Neal had been fouled hard, but that hardly mattered after he was tossed and Portland center Arvydas Sabonis went on a tear to seal the victory.
- Despite the absence of CF Ken Griffey Jr., who was slated to bat in front of him and a lineup that had no consistency, Casey was on a tear.
- After the acrimony and misunderstanding of June, RF Sammy Sosa went on a tear for the rest of the season and had another monster year.
- If Randa hits like he did in the second half, and Lopez was to continue his tear, they would have one of the more formidable offenses in baseball.
- DE Corey Redding finished the regular season on a tear but may not have a home in a 3-4 defense.
- Marriott is now on a tear to add 1,000 more properties worldwide by 2003.
- Brett went on a tear after the All-Star break in 1980.
- Dell is on a tear now, but maintaining that clip could be tough
- Mexican stocks have been on a tear, and some see more room to run
- Continuing on my creative tear, I designed a new costume for myself.
- Many factories are on a tear, with business they haven't seen since 2000
- This past session, for example, the court continued its tear, issuing several opinions that further limit federal power.
- The Celtics won eight of their first 12 games after the departure of coach Rick Pitino, and SF Paul Pierce has been on a tear.
- Joe Katzman has been on a tear over at Winds of Change.
- Imports have been on a tear since the mid-1980s, and it doesn't look like they're going to let up any time soon.
- You can even make a decent argument that technology will continue its tear for a while.
- He missed one game - one game - and then went on a tear in which he totaled 191 points in five games over 12 days.
Phrases informal Act with or show extreme desperation. Example sentencesExamples - As Alex falls to his knees, tearing his hair out in distress, the questions still remain.
- Do you ever find yourselves tearing your hair out in the studio?
- If you are tearing your hair out over the excess expenditure, then fear not, for there is some great news for new couples.
- Does this right-side-of-the-brain living, which really isn't the thing you love, have you tearing your hair out?
- If you were the CEO of a big business - say, a movie studio, music company, or multinational bank - you'd have been tearing your hair out at this scene.
- That's why we're all tearing our hair out over wrong bills.
- It's enough to make any sane person tear their hair out in desperation.
- Some of the goals will have you tearing your hair out, but therein lies the beauty of the game.
- Security shuts the palace down and our producer is tearing his hair out, desperate to test the rocket the Queen is to launch at the start of the fireworks display.
- Even if that does not quieten the little gannets, it may make you feel less like tearing your hair out during the 78 shopping days we have left.
informal Used to express dismay when something unfortunate has happened to disrupt someone's plans. a friend of her father's arrived. “That's torn it,” she said Example sentencesExamples - ‘Oh crikey, that's torn it,’ she thought, but looked up to find all eyes fixed on a line of grotesques trooping into view.
Phrasal Verbs tear someone/something apart 1Destroy something, especially good relations between people. a bloody civil war had torn the country apart Example sentencesExamples - Between 1642 and 1646 England was torn apart by a bloody civil war.
- For example, in some cases, as $m rises past some optimum, the flow of energy starts to tear the system apart, to destroy order.
- Its bloody battle tore the country apart through the 1990s.
- I imagine that sort of thing ruins lives, destroys marriages, tears families apart, and so on.
- Reading John Vidal's article, I thought about people I know, including relatives, whose lives have been torn apart because of the wishes of a ruthless dictator…
- And isn't there a risk it would tear your relationship apart?
- Today, I am pleased that positive debate has ended much of the historical bickering that was tearing the industry apart and opening the door for other tourism destinations to welcome visitors we wanted here.
- The Cypriot refugees' hope for peace reflects the attitude of many of their compatriots now facing the most significant development to affect them since a bloody war tore their country apart in 1974.
- ‘Paradise’ is a classic Eyedea track about how being too close in a relationship can tear a couple apart.
- It would, perhaps, be an exaggeration to say that the worsening Hindu-Muslim divide in India threatens to tear the country apart, but certainly relations between the country's two major communities are as bad as they have ever been.
Synonyms divide, split, split down the middle, sever, break apart, disunite, rupture stop crying—it's tearing me apart Example sentencesExamples - It was tearing her apart to have to choose and to see Liz hurt was the last thing in the world Brett wanted.
- The fact that Sen would be getting hurt in the end tore him apart.
- Love hurt, it tore you apart, it destroyed lives and hearts and everything.
- I couldn't be responsible for his harm, I just couldn't: it would tear me apart.
- Strained, muffled cries, sobs that pierced the air and pierced my heart, small whimpers that tore me apart, but from what?
- It tears you apart and destroys your spirit.
- She can't because it would tear her apart to see her parents hurt so much.
- Leaving this life and Hannah behind - the thought was already hurting him, tearing him apart.
- She tore me apart, demeaning me and bruising my ego greatly.
- Fortunately, her hits were weak and so they never hurt him physically; emotionally he was torn apart.
3Criticize someone or something harshly. Example sentencesExamples - I thought when I ran against him 4 years ago, he just tore me apart.
- And they will judge us, denounce us and tear us apart again.
- It makes us feel the disparate forces that tear the man apart.
- Please don't tear us apart until after we get back.
- Critic Pauline Kael tore Gimme Shelter apart, charging that the Maysles, along with editor and co-director Charlotte Zwerin, were involved in arranging the entire debacle, and that the resulting film was a sham.
- If you so much as gently criticize him, they'll tear you apart.
- Afterward, half-a-dozen young philosophy students went up to her and, being incredibly nasty and critical, tore her apart for the way she had delivered the talk.
- All you critics out there better not tear me apart or I'll kill you!
- Our worst fears about the more extreme critics tearing CIA apart when the new administration came in proved groundless.
- Each should stop tearing him apart and respect the rights of the other women.
often with negativeLeave despite a strong desire to stay. she couldn't tear herself away from the view Example sentencesExamples - If you just can't tear yourself away, consider staying for dinner in the Ahwahnee Dining Room (jackets required).
- Reluctantly, I tore myself away from the computer and went into the bedroom.
- Finally, she tears herself away from her cartoons long enough to remember our drinks.
- I tore myself away from the desk this morning and went to watch my girls swim.
- It was quite a difficult job tearing myself away but I got a bad score on British History so I had a small tantrum and gave up.
- It's messy and scary, but you can't tear yourself away.
- I tore myself away for a moment to find the remote control.
- I suppose you can tear yourself away between the end of a panel and the beginning of a tea…
- So, I finally tore myself away from the newspaper.
- I tore myself away from the little screen to make some effort at getting my notes together for my class.
tear someone/something down 1Demolish something, especially a building. Example sentencesExamples - Then after the day's filming her team had to rush back to the set they made last week to quickly tear it down, as the building it is housed in is scheduled for demolition today.
- In the past five years, 15,000 buildings have been torn down in the city, more than 1,000 of them over a century old.
- Now Croydon was much like I remembered it, only some of the old buildings had been torn down and other buildings put up.
- India grows more prosperous, the outside world enters willy-nilly, old buildings are torn down.
- Now, most of the buildings have been torn down, and the place is a sprawling park with 9,000 trees.
- Roughly 400 historical buildings have been torn down in the recent past, including beauties like the Hotel ‘Moskwa’.
- Old, rundown buildings are torn down to make way for the new.
- In 2003, there was a strong market for old houses, for which foreign buyers were paying 15 000 to 20 000 euro with the idea of tearing them down and building new ones.
- The structure will incorporate a mansion on that corner which is protected as a historical site, but a four-storey building on Clark will be torn down.
- This involves building walls and tearing them down.
Synonyms demolish, knock down, pull down, raze, raze to the ground, flatten, level, bulldoze 2Criticize or punish someone severely. Example sentencesExamples - They try to build themselves up by tearing other people down, try to make them seem immoral or bad or wrong for being the way God made them.
- I was so successful that they tore me down because my album was at number 2 instead of number 1.
- I think they decided that rather than tearing him down, they wanted to build him up.
- There's a lot here we don't know but there's some that we've learned in recent weeks that does suggest that they really were out to get Wilson or criticize him or tear him down a bit.
- They really tore him down so he had no choice but to come out at midnight and do something to repair his image.
- Third, find a supportive community that validates and uplifts you instead of tearing you down.
- Tonight you said that the politics of lifting people up beats the politics of tearing people down!
- Or was he a cruel and egotistical monster who tore people down to build himself up?
- People with blind opinions, following a certain train of thought with no consideration for forming a 3-dimensional argument are just as content to tear another person down because of his or her political or personal beliefs.
- Anytime there's any threat to their power, they tear people down.
she tore into him: “Don't you realize what you've done to me?” Example sentencesExamples - And on the back of his authority's top-rating, East Riding Tory leader Stephen Parnaby last night tore into Mr Clarke for misrepresenting the authority.
- Dáily Mirror columnist Sue Carroll tore into Jonsson's decision not to name her attacker.
- In a blow to power station owners Parkview, the panel not only warned that the stability of the roofless building was in danger, but tore into the company's plans for it as an exclusive retail and hotel complex.
- Nasser Hussain had a reputation for verbally tearing into his bowlers, and Hoggard was one of his victims.
- The St Augustine MP also tore into Government's social sector programmes, particularly those targeting the development of the family.
- But on August 24, a day before its delegation left for the earth summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, the government tore into the report.
- Liddiment tore into the BBC, accusing it of becoming too populist and warning director-general Greg Dyke and his lieutenants to get their tanks off the ITV lawn.
- The 20-year-old veered off the script and tore into New Labour, politely but firmly telling the most powerful man in Britain he was wrong, as he sat across the table.
- The Tracey Review tore into Captain Toohey's reasoning and his explosive conclusions, and this is the report the Government released last night.
- I immediately tried to call Melissa to find out what the scoop was before I tore into Bob who I assumed had planned merry bird adventures instead of working at the store.
Synonyms attack, assail, hit, strike, let fly at, lay into, lash out at, set about, set upon, fall on, turn on, assault, beat, thrash, pound, pummel, wallop, hammer, pounce on, round on, pelt, drub 2Make an energetic or enthusiastic start on. a jazz trio is tearing into the tune with gusto Example sentencesExamples - The 33-year-old Kaluwitharana, playing his first Test in two years, justified his selection by tearing into the Kiwi attack with 13 boundaries.
- And it was the solid base provided by Nash and his defensive colleagues that enabled City's attackers to tear into Norwich in the second half.
- Darren Lehmann, coming in at 73 for four, decided attack was the best form of defence, and he tore into Simon Francis, smashing him for 32 from the first nine balls.
- The lights dimmed and the Dolls came out and tore into one of their anthems, ‘Personality Crisis.’
- Bernard was more patient in his knock, but Breese did not want to return on Monday, and with this in mind, he tore into the Guyana attack and raced his side to their target.
- When Willie learns that the other kids beat him up, we see him tearing into the biggest kid, giving him a serious pounding up against a tree while the other kids scatter, and still others, on their bikes, stare in disbelief.
- He struck the ball with ferocity, tearing into the Lincoln attack with relish.
- All the while he's hitting the high notes, tears into the three-guitar attack and basically whips the crowd into an intoxicated frenzy.
- Holding the edge following a 9-8 triumph at Meadowbank a year ago, the Scots tore into attack.
- Solanki and Bell, who could be competing for the same place once England are back at full strength, tore into the inexperienced seam attack while the fielding restrictions were in place.
Origin Old English teran, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch teren and German zehren, from an Indo-European root shared by Greek derein ‘flay’. The noun dates from the early 17th century. nountɪrtir 1A drop of clear salty liquid secreted from glands in a person's eye when they cry or when the eye is irritated. Example sentencesExamples - She looked down at the chicks and up at their parents, and burst into tears.
- Then I burst into tears and ran out of the office.
- She held the tears back and continued observing, blinking a few times so her vision could clear.
- Worse still, when the singer finishes they are often overcome with emotion, as they burst into tears and then hug everyone around them.
- Thus the tears continue as unanswered questions abound.
- And then he burst into tears, asking why everyone hated him so much.
- I snort, not knowing whether to burst into tears or roll on the ground, howling with laughter.
- At that moment, the young woman next to me in the theater burst into tears.
- As we stood between rows and rows of dresses that looked more like housecoats, her tears continued to flow.
- Sensing his fury, one of his granddaughters burst into tears.
- She hadn't noticed James in the doorway as she continued to fight her tears.
- I watched as several of my colleagues panicked or burst into tears.
- I don't know what happened then, no doubt I burst into tears and if I didn't go looking for mummy she would have come looking for me.
- Keirah only shook her head and tears continued to flow down her cheeks.
- Catherine burst into tears of relief when she saw her result posted on the college information board, and so did her parents when she phoned them at home in Old Trafford.
- Elaine wiped her tears away as she continued to look at her daughter and Nicholas.
- Sheree continued to hold him tenderly from behind as he continued to sob heart-wrenching tears.
- And for the first year or two, you burst into tears at times when you run into a reminder of it, and then the Lord kind of heals you.
- She did not feel she fitted in anywhere and she burst into tears.
- The daughter restrains her tears and continues to look at her mother.
- 1.1tears The state or action of crying.
he was so hurt by her attitude he was nearly in tears puppets that moved Jack to tears Example sentencesExamples - I kept falling over, and in places I got so annoyed with myself that I was nearly in tears.
- He knew something had gone terribly wrong when a nurse ran past in tears.
- When the former bride finally saw an image of the painting, she was nearly in tears.
- I showed him the car so that he knew I wasn't lying to him, and he was nearly in tears.
- In fact, even people who weren't particularly close to her ended up in tears.
- Hugging their flags, their heads bowed, men and women were in tears as they quickly made their way home.
- I certainly did not expect to spend the first day of my honeymoon in tears.
- Police said afterwards that Mr Croxford's family was in tears and too upset to talk to the press.
- Residents were calling the police in tears after their cars were targeted during a late night rampage.
- Mrs Griffiths left the court in tears as Dr White said he had to live with the realisation that he had caused her death.
Synonyms crying, weeping, sobbing, wailing, howling, bawling, whimpering
verbtɪrtir [no object]US (of the eye) produce tears. the freezing wind made her eyes tear Example sentencesExamples - He released her arm and fell to the ground, eyes tearing up in pain.
- She hugged her knees close to her chest, her eyes tearing up again.
- My eyes were tearing and my mouth was full of little particles.
- I had a tremendous feeling of fear, cold chills, and my eyes were tearing up.
- His eyes were tearing, and she could see a wrecked, distressed look in them and could tell he wanted nothing more to do with this.
- Missy's view started to get blurry; she realized her eyes were tearing up.
- Soon her eyes were tearing and Kyle had joined in, laughing too.
- Mom looks at me, her eyes are tearing up, yet her face is cold.
- Marisa and Helaina fell to the ground, eyes tearing… silently laughing-ya know when you laugh so hard nothing comes out?
- My face was red, I couldn't breathe and my eyes were tearing.
- My eyes tear up as I remember this hurtful tragedy.
- Gunther's eyes started tearing up after mentioning Angel's name.
- The mother nodded, eyes tearing, turned away, and took time to regain control before she went back to the bedside.
- ‘This is probably the last time I will ever see you,’ he said, eyes tearing up.
- Her breathing was faster now, and her eyes were tearing up.
- I looked up to find Trischen staring at me, his eyes tearing from the laughter he was futilely trying to keeping in.
- I twisted my wrist from his grip, eyes tearing for the second time this month, and glared at him murderously.
- Her face was red and I imagined her eyes were tearing from the pressure.
- Lexie bit her lip, eyes tearing up, trying not to scream from the pain.
- Gleason's face twists with pain, his eyes are tearing!
Origin Old English tēar, of Germanic origin; related to German Zähre, from an Indo-European root shared by Old Latin dacruma ( Latin lacrima) and Greek dakru. |