tear¹ /tēr/

1. A drop of liquid secreted by the lachrymal gland that moistens and cleans the eye, or overflows from it as a manifestation of emotion, esp sorrow
2. An exuding drop
3. A blob, bead, pear-shaped drop
4. A small flaw or cavity, as in glass

(of the eyes; chiefly US) to fill with tears (also tear up)

tearˈful adjective

1. Brimming with, ready to shed, or shedding, tears, crying
2. Inclined to cry, lachrymose
3. Emotion-filled, producing tears

tearˈfully adverb

tearˈfulness noun

tearˈless adjective

1. Shedding no tears, dry-eyed
2. Sorrowless

tearˈy adjective

Tearful

tear bag noun

1. The lachrymal gland
2. The tear pit

tear bottle noun (archaeology)

A small bottle once thought to contain mourners' tears

tear drop noun

1. A tear
2. Anything having a similar shape

tear duct noun

The opening at the inner corner of the eye by which tears drain into the nose, the lachrymal duct

tearˈ-falling adjective (Shakespeare)

Shedding tears

tear gas noun

A gas or volatile substance that blinds temporarily by provoking tears

tearˈ-gas transitive verb

To use tear gas on

tear gland noun

The lachrymal gland

tearˈ-jerker noun

An extravagantly sentimental song, book, film, etc, inviting pity, grief, sorrow

tearˈ-jerking adjective

tear pit noun

(in deer) a gland below the eye secreting a waxy substance

tear shell noun

A shell that disperses tear gas

tear smoke noun

A lachrymatory vapour that, as opposed to tear gas, is visible

tearˈ-stained adjective

(of the face or cheeks) streaked with tracks left by tears

bored to tears

Bored beyond endurance

in tears

Weeping

without tears

By an easy or painless method

tear² /tār/

1. To draw apart or separate with violence
2. To rend, rip, lacerate
3. To cause pain, bitterness, etc to
4. To make (a hole, rent, etc) by tearing

1. To move or act with violence
2. To rush, move very quickly
3. To rage
4. To become torn

1. An act of tearing
2. A rent or hole torn in something
3. A rush (slang)
4. A spree

tearˈable adjective

tearˈer noun

1. Someone or something that tears
2. A boisterous person (slang)

tearˈing adjective

Great, terrible, rushing

tearˈaway noun

A reckless and usu violent young person

adjective

1. Impetuous, reckless
2. Of or relating to a tearaway

tearˈsheet noun

A page, eg in a magazine, perforated to facilitate its removal for reference, etc esp one demonstrating the work of a fashion model, photographer, etc

tear strip noun

A narrow perforated strip on a paper or card wrapper which can be pulled away to facilitate opening (also tearˈ-off strip)

tear webbing noun

Webbing in which two adhering layers form a fold that will tear apart so as to lessen the violence of a sudden strain

tear a (or the) cat (obsolete)

To rant

tear and wear see wear and tear under wear¹

tear apart (informal)

1. To criticize vehemently or destructively
2. To search (eg a room) thoroughly
3. To cause severe distress to

tear a strip off (someone) or tear (someone) off a strip (informal)

To reprimand (someone)

tear away

1. To remove by tearing
2. To remove (oneself) reluctantly

tear down

To demolish violently

tear into

1. To attack physically or verbally
2. To scold furiously

tear off

1. To remove by tearing
2. To depart hurriedly
3. To compose or produce hurriedly

tear one's hair

1. Formerly, to be reduced by grief or rage to tearing out handfuls of one's hair
2. To reach an extreme pitch of frenzy and frustration

tear up

1. To remove violently from a fixed state
2. To pull to pieces

that's torn it! see under torn

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