Tear

Pronunciation

• RP enPR: tâ, IPA: /tɛə/
• US enPR: târ, IPA: /tɛɚ/

From Middle English teren, from Old English teran ("to tear, lacerate"), from Proto-Germanic *teraną ("to tear, tear apart, rip"), from Proto-Indo-European *derǝ- ("to tear, tear apart"). Cognate with Scots tere, teir, tair ("to rend, lacerate, wound, rip, tear out"), Dutch teren ("to eliminate, efface, live, survive by consumption"), German zehren ("to consume, misuse"), German zerren ("to tug, rip, tear"), Danish tære ("to consume"), Swedish tära ("to fret, consume, deplete, use up"), Icelandic tæra ("to clear, corrode"). Outside Germanic, cognate to Ancient Greek δέρω ("to skin"), Albanian ther ("to slay, skin, pierce").

Full definition of tear

Verb

1. (transitive) To rend (a solid material) by holding or restraining in two places and pulling apart, whether intentionally or not; to destroy or separate.
• 1856: Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary, Part III Chapter XI, translated by Eleanor Marx-AvelingHe suffered, poor man, at seeing her so badly dressed, with laceless boots, and the arm-holes of her pinafore torn down to the hips; for the charwoman took no care of her.
2. He tore his coat on the nail.
3. (transitive) To injure as if by pulling apart.
   He has a torn ligament.
   He tore some muscles in a weight-lifting accident.
4. (transitive) To cause to lose some kind of unity or coherence.
• 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, Mr. Pratt's Patients Chapter 1, Then there came a reg'lar terror of a sou'wester same as you don't get one summer in a thousand, and blowed the shanty flat and ripped about half of the weir poles out of the sand. We spent consider'ble money getting 'em reset, and then a swordfish got into the pound and tore the nets all to slathers, right in the middle of the squiteague season.
5. He was torn by conflicting emotions.
6. (transitive) To make (an opening) with force or energy.
   A piece of debris tore a tiny straight channel through the satellite.
   His boss will tear him a new one when he finds out.
   The artillery tore a gap in the line.
7. (transitive, often with off or out) To remove by tearing.
   Tear the coupon out of the newspaper.
8. (transitive, of structures, with down) To demolish
   The slums were torn down to make way for the new development.
9. (intransitive) To become torn, especially accidentally.
   My dress has torn.
10. (intransitive) To move or act with great speed, energy, or violence.
    He went tearing down the hill at 90 miles per hour.
    The tornado lingered, tearing through town, leaving nothing upright.
    He tore into the backlog of complaints.
11. (intransitive) To smash or enter something with great force.
    The chain shot tore into the approaching line of infantry.

Synonyms

• (break) rend, rip
• (remove by tearing) rip out, tear off, tear out

Related terms

Noun

1. A hole or break caused by tearing.A small tear is easy to mend, if it is on the seam.

Derived terms

• wear and tear

Derived terms

• tearsheet

Pronunciation

• RP enPR: tî, IPA: /tɪə/
• US enPR: tîr, IPA: /tɪɚ/
• Homophones: tier (layer or rank)

From Middle English teer, ter, tere, tear, from Old English tēar, tǣr, tæhher, teagor, *teahor ("drop; tear; what is distilled from anything in drops, nectar"), from Proto-Germanic *tahrą ("tear"), from Proto-Indo-European *dáḱru- ("tears"). Cognates include Old Norse tár (Danish tåre and Norwegian tåre), Old High German zahar (German Zähre), Gothic 𐍄𐌰𐌲𐍂 (tagr, "").

Noun

1. A drop of clear, salty liquid produced from the eyes by crying or irritation.
• 1963, Margery Allingham, The China Governess Chapter 6, ‘… I remember a lady coming to inspect St. Mary's Home where I was brought up and seeing us all in our lovely Elizabethan uniforms we were so proud of, and bursting into tears all over us because “it was wicked to dress us like charity children”. â€¦â€™.
2. There were big tears rolling down Lisa's cheeks.
   Ryan wiped the tear from the paper he was crying on.
3. Something in the form of a transparent drop of fluid matter; also, a solid, transparent, tear-shaped drop, as of some balsams or resins.
• DrydenLet Araby extol her happy coast,
  Her fragrant flowers, her trees with precious tears.
4. That which causes or accompanies tears; a lament; a dirge.
• Miltonsome melodious tear

Derived terms

• crocodile tears
• shed a tear
• teardrop
• tear duct
• tearful
• tear up
• teary

Verb

1. (intransitive) To produce tears.Her eyes began to tear in the harsh wind.

Anagrams

• rate
• tare