to tear violently apart

  • 1tear — tear1 W3S3 [tıə US tır] n 1.) [C usually plural] a drop of salty liquid that comes out of your eye when you are crying ▪ The children were all in tears . ▪ She came home in floods of tears . ▪ I could see that Sam was close to tears . ▪ Bridget… …

    Dictionary of contemporary English

  • 2Tear — (t[^a]r), v. t. [imp. {Tore} (t[=o]r), ((Obs. {Tare}) (t[^a]r); p. p. {Torn} (t[=o]rn); p. pr. & vb. n. {Tearing}.] [OE. teren, AS. teran; akin to OS. farterian to destroy, D. teren to consume, G. zerren to pull, to tear, zehren to consume, Icel …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 3tear — tear1 [ter] vt. tore, torn, tearing [ME teren < OE teran, to rend, akin to Ger zehren, to destroy, consume < IE base * der , to skin, split > DRAB1, DERMA1] 1. to pull apart or separate into pieces by force; rip or rend (cloth, paper,… …

    English World dictionary

  • 4tear — 1 noun 1 (C) a drop of salty liquid that flows from your eye when you are crying: Tears just rolled down his face. | tear stained cheeks | (be) in tears (=crying): My wife actually broke down in tears telling me. | burst into tears (=suddenly… …

    Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • 5tear — tear1 [ ter ] (past tense tore [ tɔr ] ; past participle torn [ tɔrn ] ) verb ** 1. ) intransitive or transitive to pull something so that it separates into pieces or gets a hole in it, or to become damaged in this way: RIP: It s made of very… …

    Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • 6tear — tear1 /tear/, n. 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 …

    Universalium

  • 7tear — 1. v. & n. v. (past tore; past part. torn) 1 tr. (often foll. by up) pull apart or to pieces with some force (tear it in half; tore up the letter). 2 tr. a make a hole or rent in by tearing (have torn my coat). b make (a hole or rent). 3 tr.… …

    Useful english dictionary

  • 8tear — I. /tɪə / (say tear) noun 1. a drop of the limpid fluid secreted by the lachrymal gland, appearing in or flowing from the eye, chiefly as the result of emotion, especially of grief. 2. something resembling or suggesting a tear, as a drop of a… …

  • 9tear — I CRYING ♦♦♦ tears (Pronounced [[t]tɪ͟ə(r)[/t]] in tear 1, and [[t]te͟ə(r)[/t]] in tear2.) 1) N COUNT: usu pl Tears are the drops of salty liquid that come out of your eyes when you are crying. Her eyes filled with tears... I just broke down and… …

    English dictionary

  • 10tear — I [[t]tɪər[/t]] n. 1) phl a drop of the saline, watery fluid continually secreted by the lacrimal glands between the surface of the eye and the eyelid 2) phl a drop of this fluid appearing in or flowing from the eye as the result of emotion, esp …

    From formal English to slang