tear
gb/tˈɛɹ/ us/tˈɛɹ/
A1
Kiingereza
~ 2800
Maana
maana 0
Kitenzi
A2
action
1
Pull apart or rip
To pull something so that it breaks into pieces.
Muundo wa matumizi:
to tear [something]
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners sometimes confuse 'tear' with 'tear up' (which can also mean 'destroy into small pieces' or 'become emotional'), so context is important.
Visawe
rip (Slightly more informal; otherwise nearly identical in meaning.)
Vinyume
mend (Means to repair something that has been torn or damaged.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
tear a page
|tear a shirt
|tear the paper
|tear the fabric
Mada
daily life
|objects
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- 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.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- 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.
Nomino
A1
entity
2
Liquid drop from eye
A small drop of water from your eye when you cry or when something hurts your eye.
Kosa la kawaida:
Some learners confuse 'tear' (drop from eye) with 'tear' (rip). Pronunciation differs: /tɪə(r)/ for crying vs. /teə(r)/ for ripping.
Visawe
teardrop (More descriptive; refers specifically to the shape of the drop.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
shed a tear
|tears rolled down
|wipe away tears
|burst into tears
Mada
emotions
|body
|health
Mifano
- 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.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- 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.
Nomino
A2
entity
3
Hole or split in material
A place where cloth, paper, etc., is broken because it was pulled apart.
Visawe
rip (Almost identical in meaning, though 'rip' can sound slightly rougher or more forceful.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
fix a tear
|repair a tear
|notice a tear
|a tear in the fabric
Mada
objects
|daily life
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- 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.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- I see a tear in your shirt.
- This bag has a big tear.
- She fixed the tear in her dress.
Kitenzi
informal
B1
action
4
Move quickly and recklessly
To go somewhere very fast, sometimes without care.
Muundo wa matumizi:
to tear [somewhere]
Visawe
race (Implies high speed but not necessarily recklessness.)
Vinyume
crawl (Means to move very slowly, opposite of tearing around.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
tear down the street
|tear through town
Mada
movement
|informal speech
|travel
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- The car tore down the highway at full speed.
- Kids were tearing around the playground.
- He tore through the house looking for his keys.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- The bike tore past me on the road.
- She tore into the room quickly.
- They tore down the street on their skates.
Sarufi
Umbo la kamusi
tear
IPA
GB/tˈɛɹ/
US/tˈɛɹ/
Silabi na mkazo
tear (silabi 1)
Stress on 1st syllable (tear)
Maumbo ya neno
Noun
- Base: tear
- Plural: tears
Verb
- Base: tear
- 3rd Person Singular: tears
- Present Participle: tearing
- Past: teared, tore
- Past Participle: torn
Familia ya neno
Forms
tears
noun
tearing
verb
teared
verb
tore
verb
torn
verb
Vidokezo muhimu
- Irregular past participle: torn Verb
Semi
in tears
1/ˈɪn tˈɪɹz/
fixed phrase
Crying at that moment
Crying at that time.
Mifano
- 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.
Mifano
- 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.
Mifano
- 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.
Mifano
- 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.
Mifano
- 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.
Mifano
- 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.