tear (redirected from tearing to shreds)

tear ¹  (târ)

v. tore (tôr, tr), torn (tôrn, trn), tear·ing, tears

v.tr.

1. To pull apart or into pieces by force; rend.

2. To make (an opening) by ripping: tore a hole in my stocking.

3. To lacerate (the skin, for example).

4. To separate forcefully; wrench: tore the wrappings off the present.

5. To divide or disrupt: was torn between opposing choices; a country that was torn by strife.

v.intr.

1. To become torn.

2. To move with heedless speed; rush headlong.

n.

1. The act of tearing.

2. The result of tearing; a rip or rent.

3. A great rush; a hurry.

4. Slang A carousal; a spree.

Phrasal Verbs:

tear around Informal

1. To move about in excited, often angry haste.

2. To lead a wild life.

tear at

1. To pull at or attack violently: The dog tore at the meat.

2. To distress greatly: Their plight tore at his heart.

tear away

To remove (oneself, for example) unwillingly or reluctantly.

tear down

1. To demolish: tear down old tenements.

2. To take apart; disassemble: tear down an engine.

3. To vilify or denigrate.

tear into

To attack with great vigor or violence: tore into the food; tore into his opponent.

tear off Informal

To produce hurriedly and casually: tearing off article after news article.

tear up

1. To tear to pieces.

2. To make an opening in: tore up the sidewalk to add a drain.

Idiom:

tear (one's) hair

To be greatly upset or distressed.

---

[Middle English teren, from Old English teran; see der- in Indo-European roots.]

---

tearer n.

Synonyms: tear¹, rip¹, rend, split, cleave¹
These verbs mean to separate or pull apart by force. Tear involves pulling something apart or into pieces: "She tore the letter in shreds" Edith Wharton.
Rip implies rough or forcible tearing: Carpenters ripped up the old floorboards.
Rend usually refers to violent tearing or wrenching apart: "Come as the winds come, when/Forests are rended" Sir Walter Scott.
To split is to cut or break something into parts or layers, especially along its entire length or along a natural line of division: "They [wood stumps] warmed me twiceonce while I was splitting them, and again when they were on the fire" Henry David Thoreau.
Cleave most often refers to splitting with or as if with a sharp instrument: The butcher cleft the side of beef into smaller portions.

---

tear ¹

Noun

1. Also called: (teardrop) a drop of salty fluid appearing in and falling from the eye Related adjective lacrimal, lachrymal or lacrymal

2. in tears weeping [Old English tēar]

---

tear ²

Verb

[tearing, tore, torn]

1. to rip a hole in (something): I tore my jumper on a nail

2. to pull apart or to pieces: eagles have powerful beaks for tearing flesh

3. to hurry or rush

4. to remove or take by force: the sacred things torn from the temples of Inca worshippers

5. tear at someone's heartstrings to cause someone distress or anguish

6. to injure (a muscle or ligament) by moving or twisting it violently

Noun

a hole or split

See also tear away, tear down, tear into [Old English teran]

---

tear  (tîr)

A drop of the clear salty liquid secreted by glands (lacrimal glands) in the eyes. Tears wet the membrane covering the eye and help rid the eye of irritating substances.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	tear - a drop of the clear salty saline solution secreted by the lacrimal glands; "his story brought tears to her eyes" teardrop lachrymal secretion, lacrimal secretion - saline fluid secreted by lacrimal glands; lubricates the surface of the eyeball drib, driblet, drop - a small indefinite quantity (especially of a liquid); "he had a drop too much to drink"; "a drop of each sample was analyzed"; "there is not a drop of pity in that man"; "years afterward, they would pay the blood-money, driblet by driblet"--Kipling H2O, water - binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
	2.	tear - an opening made forcibly as by pulling apart; "there was a rip in his pants"; "she had snags in her stockings" rent, rip, snag, split opening, gap - an open or empty space in or between things; "there was a small opening between the trees"; "the explosion made a gap in the wall"
	3.	tear - an occasion for excessive eating or drinking; "they went on a bust that lasted three days" binge, bout, bust revel, revelry - unrestrained merrymaking piss-up - vulgar expression for a bout of heavy drinking
	4.	tear - the act of tearing; "he took the manuscript in both hands and gave it a mighty tear" separation - the act of dividing or disconnecting laceration - the act of lacerating rent, rip, split - the act of rending or ripping or splitting something; "he gave the envelope a vigorous rip"
Verb	1.	tear - separate or cause to separate abruptly; "The rope snapped"; "tear the paper" rupture, snap, bust disunite, separate, part, divide - force, take, or pull apart; "He separated the fighting children"; "Moses parted the Red Sea" lacerate - cut or tear irregularly rend, rip, rive, pull - tear or be torn violently; "The curtain ripped from top to bottom"; "pull the cooked chicken into strips" rip up, shred, tear up - tear into shreds tear apart, trash, pan - express a totally negative opinion of; "The critics panned the performance" pull down, rase, raze, dismantle, tear down, level, take down - tear down so as to make flat with the ground; "The building was levelled" rip up, shred, tear up - tear into shreds
	2.	tear - to separate or be separated by force; "planks were in danger of being torn from the crossbars" cleave, rive, split - separate or cut with a tool, such as a sharp instrument; "cleave the bone" disunite, separate, part, divide - force, take, or pull apart; "He separated the fighting children"; "Moses parted the Red Sea"
	3.	tear - move quickly and violently; "The car tore down the street"; "He came charging into my office" shoot down, buck, charge, shoot hie, hotfoot, pelt along, race, rush, rush along, speed, step on it, belt along, bucket along, cannonball along, hasten - move fast; "He rushed down the hall to receive his guests"; "The cars raced down the street" dash, scoot, scud, dart, flash, shoot - run or move very quickly or hastily; "She dashed into the yard" rip - move precipitously or violently; "The tornado ripped along the coast"
	4.	tear - strip of feathers; "pull a chicken"; "pluck the capon" deplumate, deplume, displume, pluck, pull strip - remove the surface from; "strip wood"
	5.	tear - fill with tears or shed tears; "Her eyes were tearing" weep, cry - shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain; "She cried bitterly when she heard the news of his death"; "The girl in the wheelchair wept with frustration when she could not get up the stairs"

---

tear

verb 1. rip, split, rend, shred, rupture, sunder

verb 2. run, rip, ladder, snag

verb 3. scratch, cut (open), gash, lacerate, injure, mangle, cut to pieces, cut to ribbons, mangulate Austral. (slang)

verb 4. pull apart, claw, lacerate, sever, mutilate, mangle, mangulate Austral. (slang)

verb 5. rush, run, charge, race, shoot, fly, career, speed, belt (slang) dash, hurry, barrel (along) (informal), chiefly U.S., Canad. sprint, bolt, dart, gallop, zoom, burn rubber (informal)

verb 6. (often with away or from) pull, seize, rip, grab, snatch, pluck, yank, wrench, wrest

noun 7. hole, split, rip, run, rent, snag, rupture

Translations

tear [tɛəʳ] [pt tore, pp torn] n → rasgón m; desgarrón m [tɪəʳ] → lágrima

vb [tɛəʳ]

vt → romper, rasgar

vi → rasgarse;

in tears → llorando;

to burst into tears → deshacerse en lágrimas;

to tear to pieces or to bits or to shreds (also fig) → hacer pedazos, destrozar

tear along vi (= rush) → precipitarse

tear apart vt (also fig) → hacer pedazos

tear away vt to tear o.s. away (from sth) → alejarse (de algo)

tear out vt [+ sheet of paper, cheque] → arrancar

tear up vt [+ sheet of paper etc] → romper

tear¹ [ˈtɪəʳ] n → larme f;

in tears → en larmes;

to burst into tears → fondre en larmes

---

tear² [tɛəʳ] [tore , pt , torn , pp ] [tɔːʳ, tɔːn] n → déchirure f

vt → déchirer

vi → se déchirer;

to tear to pieces or to bits or to shreds → mettre en pièces (fig); démolir

tear along vi (= rush) → aller à toute vitesse

tear apart vt (also fig) → déchirer

tear away vt to tear o.s. away (from sth) (fig) → s'arracher (de qch)

tear down² vt [+ building, statue] → démolir [+ poster, flag]; arracher

tear off² vt [+ sheet of paper etc] → arracher [+ one's clothes]; enlever à toute vitesse

tear out vt [+ sheet of paper, cheque] → arracher

tear up vt [+ sheet of paper etc] → déchirer, mettre en morceaux or pièces

tear¹ [tɛəʳ] [tore , pt , torn , pp ] n (hole) → Riss m

vt (= rip) → zerreißen

vi (= become torn) → reißen;

to tear sth to pieces or bits or shreds (lit, fig) → etw in Stücke reißen;

to tear sb to pieces → jdn fertigmachen

tear along tear¹ vi (= rush) [driver, car] → entlangrasen

tear apart tear¹ vt [+ book, clothes, people] → auseinanderreißen (= upset) [+ person] → hin- und herreißen

tear away tear¹ vt to tear o.s. away (from sth) (fig) → sich (von etw) losreißen

tear out tear¹ vt [+ sheet of paper etc] → herausreißen

tear up tear¹ vt [+ sheet of paper etc] → zerreißen

---

tear² [tɪəʳ] n (in eye) → Träne f;

in tears → in Tränen;

to burst into tears → in Tränen ausbrechen

tear n [tɛəʳ] → strappo [tɪəʳ] → lacrima

vb [tɛəʳ] [pt tore, pp torn] [tɔːʳ, tɔːn]

vt → strappare

vi → strapparsi;

in tears → in lacrime;

to burst into tears → scoppiare in lacrime;

to tear to pieces or to bits or to shreds (also fig) → fare a pezzi or a brandelli

tear along vi (= rush) → correre all'impazzata

tear apart vt (also fig) → distruggere

tear away vt to tear o.s. away (from sth) (fig) → staccarsi (da qc)

tear out vt [+ sheet of paper, cheque] → staccare

tear up vt [+ sheet of paper etc] → strappare

---

tear¹

n tear [tiə]

a drop of liquid coming from the eye, as a result of emotion (especially sadness) or because something (eg smoke) has irritated it tears of joy/laughter/rage. traan دَمْعَه сълза slza tåre die Träne δάκρυ lágrima pisar اشک kyynel larme דִמעָה अश्रु suza könny(csepp) air mata tár lacrima 涙 눈물 ašara asara mengoyakkan traan tåre łza lágrima lacrimă слеза slza solza suza tår น้ำตา göz yaşı 眼淚 сльоза آنسو nước mắt 眼泪

adj ˈtearful

1 inclined to cry or weep; with much crying or weeping She was very tearful; a tearful farewell. huilend, betraan باكٍ، دامِع плачлив plačtivý, uplakaný tårevædet tränenreich;weinerlich κλαψιάρης, ευσυγκίνητος, δακρύβρεχτος lloroso nutune همراه با گریه و زاری itkuinen pleureur, larmoyant דוֹמֵע अश्रु पूर्ण suzan, žalostan könnyező menyedihkan tárvotur; grátklökkur in lacrime 涙もろい 곧잘 우는; 눈물을 자아내는 verksmingas raudulīgs; asarains hendak menangis huilerig gråtkvalt, tåredryppende płaczliwy, pełen łez choroso plângăcios; îndu­io­şător слезливый plačlivý, uplakaný solzen plačljiv gråtmild, tårfylld อยากร้องไห้ göz yaşı dolu 流淚的 готовий розплакатися نمناک phát khóc 流泪的

2 covered with tears tearful faces. huilend, betraan مُغَطّى بالدُّموع разплакан uslzený tårevædet weinend δακρυσμένος, κλαμένος cubierto de lágrimas pisarane گریان kyyneleinen plein/couvert de larmes דוֹמֵע अश्रुपूर्ण zaplakan könnyes berlinang air mata tárvotur piangente, in lacrime 涙ぐんだ 눈물젖은 paplūdęs ašaromis, ašarotas asaru pārplūdis; asarains dibasahi air mata betraand tårevåt zapłakany cheio de lágrimas scăldat în lacrimi заплаканный uslzený ves v solzah suzan tårdränkt ซึ่งรู้สึกจะร้องไห้ yaşlı 眼淚汪汪的 повний сліз اشک بار، پر اشک đẫm lệ 眼泪汪汪的

adv ˈtearfully

betraan بِعيون دامِعَه плачливо plačtivě tårevædet tränenreich με δάκρυα con lágrimas en los ojos, llorando nutuselt با حالت گریان itkuisesti en pleurant בִּדמָעוֹת अश्रुपूर्णता से suzno, plačno könnyesen dengan sedih gráti næst; grátandi (piangendo) 涙ぐんで 눈물을 흘리며 verksmingai asaraini; ar asarām acīs keadaan sso yg hendak menangis huilerig gråtkvalt, gråtende płaczliwie chorosamente plângând, care plânge слезливо plačlivo jokajoče plačljivo gråtmilt, tårfyllt อยากร้องไห้ ağlayarak 悲傷地 слізно نمناک ہو کر đang khóc 悲伤地

n ˈtearfulness

traanvol بُكاء، إمتلاء العُيون بالدَّمع плачливост plačtivost tårevædethed die Tränen(pl.) συγκίνηση cualidad de lloroso nutusus گریان بودن itkuisuus larmoiement בֶּכִי अश्रुपूर्णता plačljivost könnyesség kesedihan táraflóð; tárarennsli piagnucolio 涙ぐむこと 눈물을 흘림 verksmingumas asarainums; raudulīgums huilerigheid tåreflom, gråt płaczliwość carácter lacrimoso plâns(et) слезливость plačlivosť solzavost plačljivost gråtmildhet, tårfylldhet การมีน้ำตานองหน้า ağlamaklı olma 淚汪汪 сльозливість اشک باري sự đáng khóc 泪汪汪

tear gas

a kind of gas causing blinding tears, used against eg rioters. traangas غاز مُسيل للدُّموع сълзотворен газ slzný plyn tåregas das Tränengas δακρυγόνο gas lacrimógeno pisargaas گاز اشک آور kyynelkaasu gaz lacrymogène גַז מַדמִיע अश्रु गैस plin suzavac könnygáz gas air mata táragas gas lacrimogeno 催涙ガス 최루 가스 ašarinės dujos asaru gāze gas pemedih mata traangas tåregass gaz łzawiący gás lacrimogéneo gaz lacrimogen слезоточивый газ slzný plyn solzivec suzavac tårgas ก๊าซน้ำตา göz yaşartıcı gaz 催淚毒氣 сльозоточивий газ آنسو گيس hơi cay 催泪毒气

adj ˈtear-stained

marked with tears a tear-stained face. traangevlek مُبَقَّع بالدُّموع насълзен uslzený forgrædt verweint κλαμένος mojado/empapado de lágrimas äranutetud پوشیده از قطره های اشک itkettynyt barbouillé de larmes עִקבוֹת שֶׁל דְמָעוֹת अश्रुपूर्ण pokapan suzama könnyfoltos berbekas air mata tárbólginn (rigato di lacrime) 涙にぬれた 눈물로 얼룩진 ašarotas, užverktas asarām aptraipīts; saraudāts mempunyai kesan air mata betraand tårevåt, forgrått mokry od łez molhado de lágrimas scăldat în lacrimi заплаканный uslzený objokan umazan suzama tårdränkt ซึ่งเปรอะเปื้อนน้ำตา göz yaşı lekeli 淚水沾濕的 заплаканий آنسو لگا ہوا đầy nước mắt 泪水沾湿的

in tears

crying or weeping She was in tears over the broken doll. in trane مُبَلَّل بالدُّموع разплакан v slzách opløst i gråd in Tränen με δάκρυα στα μάτια llorando pisarais گریان itkeä en larmes/pleurs בּוֹכֶה रोते-चिल्लाते हुए plačući, zaplakan sír menangis grátandi in lacrime 泣いて 눈물을 흘리며 apsipylęs ašaromis asarās menangis in tranen i tårer we łzach debulhado em lagrimas în lacrimi в слезах v slzách v solzah u suzama i tårar, gråtande ร้องไห้ ağlamakta, gözleri yaşlı 含著淚，流著淚 в сльозах اشک بار đang khóc 含着泪，流着泪