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Definitions for Tear

[1] a drop of the saline, watery fluid continually secreted by the lacrimal glands between the surface of the eye and the eyelid, serving to moisten and lubricate these parts and keep them clear of foreign particles.
[2] this fluid appearing in or flowing from the eye as the result of emotion, especially grief: to shed tears.
[3] something resembling or suggesting a tear, as a drop of a liquid or a tearlike mass of a solid substance, especially having a spherical or globular shape at one end and tapering to a point at the other: teardrop earrings.
[4] Glassmaking . a decorative air bubble enclosed in a glass vessel; air bell.
[5] tears, grief; sorrow.
[6] to fill up and overflow with tears, as the eyes (often followed by up ): My eyes were tearing in the wind. He teared up when he heard the news.
[7] in tears , weeping: He was in tears over the death of his dog.
[8] to pull apart or in pieces by force, especially so as to leave ragged or irregular edges.
[9] to pull or snatch violently; wrench away with force: to tear wrappings from a package; to tear a book from someone's hands.
[10] to distress greatly: anguish that tears the heart.
[11] to divide or disrupt: a country torn by civil war.
[12] to wound or injure by or as if by rending; lacerate.
[13] to produce or effect by rending: to tear a hole in one's coat.
[14] to remove by force or effort: to be unable to tear oneself from a place.
[15] to become torn.
[16] to make a tear or rent.
[17] to move or behave with force, violent haste, or energy: The wind tore through the trees; cars tearing up and down the highway; I was tearing around all afternoon trying to find sandals for the beach.
[18] the act of tearing.
[19] a rent or fissure.
[20] a rage or passion; violent flurry or outburst.
[21] Informal . a spree.
[22] tear at , to pluck violently at; attempt to tear: She tore at the bandages until they loosened. to distress; afflict: remorse that tears at one's soul.
[23] tear down , to pull down; destroy; demolish. to disparage or discredit: to tear down one's friends behind their backs.
[24] tear into , Informal . to attack impulsively and heedlessly: He tore into the food with a will. to attack verbally: She tore into him for being late for dinner.
[25] tear off , Slang . to perform or do, especially rapidly or casually: to tear off a poem; to tear off a set of tennis.
[26] tear up , to tear into small shreds: He tore up the drawings because she had criticized them. to cancel or annul: to tear up a contract.
[27] a drop of the secretion of the lacrimal glands See tears
[28] something shaped like a hanging drop a tear of amber
[29] to cause (material, paper, etc) to come apart or (of material, etc) to come apart; rip
[30] (tr) to make (a hole or split) in (something) to tear a hole in a dress
[31] (intr often foll by along ) to hurry or rush to tear along the street
[32] (tr; usually foll by away or from) to remove or take by force
[33] (when intr, often foll by at ) to cause pain, distress, or anguish (to) it tore at my heartstrings to see the starving child
[34] tear one's hair informal to be angry, frustrated, very worried, etc
[35] a hole, cut, or split
[36] the act of tearing
[37] a great hurry; rush
[38] on a tear slang showing a sudden burst of energy

Words related to Tear

hole, crack, rive, pull, divide, injure, mangle, separate, damage, snatch, break, shred, split, slash, grab, yank, rupture, sever, wrench, shoot

Words nearby Tear

teamwork, teaneck, teapot, teapot dome, teapoy, tear, tear 1, tear apart, tear around, tear at, tear away

Origin of Tear

2before 900; Middle English teren (v.), Old English teran; cognate with Dutch teren, German zehren to consume, Gothic distairan to destroy, Greek dérein to flay

Other words from Tear

tear·a·ble , adjective
tear·a·ble·ness , noun
tear·er , noun
un·tear·a·ble , adjective

Word origin for Tear

Old English teran; related to Old Saxon terian, Gothic gatairan to destroy, Old High German zeran to destroy

Synonyms for Tear

crack, hole, breach, break, damage, fissure, gash, imperfection, laceration, mutilation, rent, run, rupture, scratch, split, tatter