tearverb
uk/teər/us/ter/tore, torntear verb (PULL APART)
B1 [ I or T ] to pull or be pulled apart, or to pull pieces off:
You have to be very careful with books this old because the paper tears very easily.
I tore my skirt on the chair as I stood up.
A couple of pages had been torn out of/from the book.
More examples
- She tried to tear a small piece off the edge.
- I tore off a piece of paper.
- The dog's claws tore her dress.
- The sheet tore right down the middle.
- You need to tear off the top of the packet.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Tearing and breaking into pieces
- apart
- asunder
- bobble
- break (sth) off
- breakage
- catch
- fall apart
- flake
- fragment
- fragmented
- frayed
- in ribbons idiom
- knacker
- pull sth apart
- rent
- rip
- shear
- split
- tear sth up
- torn
See more results »
tear verb (HURRY)
[ I + adv/prep ] informal to move very quickly:
He went tearing along the road after the bus.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Moving quickly
- beetle
- belt
- bob
- bowl down/along sth
- careen
- career
- gallop
- gun
- leg
- make off
- outran
- pelt
- rush
- scamper
- scoot
- scrabble
- scramble
- shoot
- stampede
- trot
See more results »
Idiom(s)
be in a tearing hurry
tear your hair out
tear sb's heart out
tear a strip off sb
Phrasal verb(s)
tear sth apart
tear sb/sth apart
tear sb apart
tear sb away
tear sth down
tear into sth
tear into sb/sth
tear sth off
tear off
tear sth up
tearnoun [ C ]
uk/teər/us/ter/a hole in a piece of paper, cloth, or other material, where it has been torn
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Tearing and breaking into pieces
- apart
- asunder
- bobble
- break (sth) off
- breakage
- catch
- fall apart
- flake
- fragment
- fragmented
- frayed
- in ribbons idiom
- knacker
- pull sth apart
- rent
- rip
- shear
- split
- tear sth up
- torn
See more results »
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Holes, hollows and dips