tear
gb/tˈɛɹ/ us/tˈɛɹ/
A1
English
~ 2800
Senses
0 senses
Verb
A2
action
1
Pull apart or rip
To pull something so that it breaks into pieces.
Usage pattern:
to tear [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'tear' with 'tear up' (which can also mean 'destroy into small pieces' or 'become emotional'), so context is important.
Synonyms
rip (Slightly more informal; otherwise nearly identical in meaning.)
Antonyms
mend (Means to repair something that has been torn or damaged.)
Collocations
tear a page
|tear a shirt
|tear the paper
|tear the fabric
Themes
daily life
|objects
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She accidentally tore her dress on a nail.
- He tore the letter in half and threw it away.
- The child tore the wrapping paper open eagerly.
- Strong winds tore the flag from its pole.
Learner examples
- I tore my shirt on the fence.
- He tore the paper into two pieces.
- She tore the bag when she opened it.
- The wind tore the poster off the wall.
Noun
A1
entity
2
Liquid drop from eye
A small drop of water from your eye when you cry or when something hurts your eye.
Common mistake:
Some learners confuse 'tear' (drop from eye) with 'tear' (rip). Pronunciation differs: /tɪə(r)/ for crying vs. /teə(r)/ for ripping.
Synonyms
teardrop (More descriptive; refers specifically to the shape of the drop.)
Collocations
shed a tear
|tears rolled down
|wipe away tears
|burst into tears
Themes
emotions
|body
|health
Examples
- A tear rolled down her cheek as she read the letter.
- His eyes filled with tears of joy.
- She wiped away her tears before speaking.
- The smoke brought tears to my eyes.
Learner examples
- A tear fell from her eye.
- He had tears in his eyes.
- She wiped her tears with a tissue.
- Smoke made my eyes fill with tears.
Noun
A2
entity
3
Hole or split in material
A place where cloth, paper, etc., is broken because it was pulled apart.
Synonyms
rip (Almost identical in meaning, though 'rip' can sound slightly rougher or more forceful.)
Collocations
fix a tear
|repair a tear
|notice a tear
|a tear in the fabric
Themes
objects
|daily life
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- There was a small tear in his jeans.
- She sewed up the tear in her coat.
- The book's cover had several tears along the edge.
Learner examples
- I see a tear in your shirt.
- This bag has a big tear.
- She fixed the tear in her dress.
Verb
informal
B1
action
4
Move quickly and recklessly
To go somewhere very fast, sometimes without care.
Usage pattern:
to tear [somewhere]
Synonyms
race (Implies high speed but not necessarily recklessness.)
Antonyms
crawl (Means to move very slowly, opposite of tearing around.)
Collocations
tear down the street
|tear through town
Themes
movement
|informal speech
|travel
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The car tore down the highway at full speed.
- Kids were tearing around the playground.
- He tore through the house looking for his keys.
Learner examples
- The bike tore past me on the road.
- She tore into the room quickly.
- They tore down the street on their skates.
Grammar
Dictionary form
tear
IPA
GB/tˈɛɹ/
US/tˈɛɹ/
Syllables & stress
tear (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (tear)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: tear
- Plural: tears
Verb
- Base: tear
- 3rd Person Singular: tears
- Present Participle: tearing
- Past: teared, tore
- Past Participle: torn
Word family
Forms
tears
noun
tearing
verb
teared
verb
tore
verb
torn
verb
Highlights
- Irregular past participle: torn Verb
Expressions
in tears
1/ˈɪn tˈɪɹz/
fixed phrase
Crying at that moment
Crying at that time.
Examples
- He was in tears after watching the sad movie.
- She ran out of the room in tears.
tear down
1/tˈɛɹ dˈaʊn/
phrasal verb
Demolish or criticize harshly
To destroy a building OR to say very bad things about someone or something.
Examples
- They tore down the old school to build a new one.
- The critics tore down the new play.
tear up
1/tˈɛɹ ˈʌp/
phrasal verb
Rip into pieces or start crying slightly
To break something into pieces by tearing OR to get tears in your eyes because of emotion or pain.
Examples
- He tore up the letter and threw it away.
- She began to tear up during the speech.
burst into tears
1/bˈɚst ˈɪntu tˈɪɹz/
idiom
suddenly start crying
To start crying very suddenly and strongly.
Examples
- When she saw the broken vase, she burst into tears.
- He burst into tears as soon as he heard the sad news.
burst into tears
2/bˈɚst ˈɪntu tˈɪɹz/
idiom
Suddenly start crying
To start crying suddenly and loudly.
Examples
- She burst into tears when she heard the bad news.
- The child burst into tears after falling down.
tear apart
1/tˈɛɹ əpˈɑɹt/
phrasal verb
Pull into pieces or upset deeply
To break something into pieces OR to cause someone great sadness or pain.
Examples
- The dog tore the newspaper apart.
- The explosion tore apart several buildings.
- The critics tore his new book apart.
- The news tore her apart emotionally.