Tear
WordNet
noun
(1) The act of tearing
"He took the manuscript in both hands and gave it a mighty tear"
(2) An occasion for excessive eating or drinking
"They went on a bust that lasted three days"
(3) A drop of the clear salty saline solution secreted by the lacrimal glands
"His story brought tears to her eyes"
(4) An opening made forcibly as by pulling apart
"There was a rip in his pants"
"She had snags in her stockings"
verb
(5) Fill with tears or shed tears
"Her eyes were tearing"
(6) Strip of feathers
"Pull a chicken"
"Pluck the capon"
(7) To separate or be separated by force
"Planks were in danger of being torn from the crossbars"
(8) Separate or cause to separate abruptly
"The rope snapped"
"Tear the paper"
(9) Move quickly and violently
"The car tore down the street"
"He came charging into my office"
WiktionaryText
Verb
- To rend (a solid material) by holding or restraining in two places and pulling apart, whether intentionally or not; to destroy or separate.
- He tore his coat on the nail.
- To remove by tearing.
- Tear the coupon out of the newspaper.
- to demolish
- The slums were torn down to make way for the new development
- To become torn, especially accidentally.
- My dress has torn.
- To move at excessive speed.
- He went tearing down the hill at 90 miles per hour.
Related terms
- tearaway
- tear apart
- tear down
- tear up
- that's torn it
- wear and tear
- retear
Noun
Etymology 2
, from an earlier form of , from . Cognates include Old Norse (Danish and Norwegian ), Old High German (German ), Gothic .
Noun
- A drop of clear, salty liquid produced from the eyes by crying or irritation.
- There were big tears rolling down Lisa's cheeks.
- Ryan wiped the tear from the paper he was crying on.
Verb
- To produce tears
- Her eyes began to tear in the harsh wind.