| tear | |
| 1. v. 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. | |
| 2. v. To injure as if by pulling apart. | |
| He has a torn ligament. | |
| He tore some muscles in a weight-lifting accident. | |
| 3. v. To destroy or reduce abstract unity or coherence, such as social, political or emotional. | |
| He was torn by conflicting emotions. | |
| 4. v. 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. | |
| 5. v. (transitive, often, with off, or out) To remove by tearing. | |
| Tear the coupon out of the newspaper. | |
| 6. v. (transitive, of structures, with down) To demolish | |
| The slums were torn down to make way for the new development. | |
| 7. v. (intransitive) To become torn, especially accidentally. | |
| My dress has torn. | |
| 8. v. (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. | |
| 9. v. (intransitive) To smash or enter something with great force. | |
| The chain shot tore into the approaching line of infantry. | |
| 10. n. A hole or break caused by tearing. | |
| A small tear is easy to mend, if it is on the seam. | |
| 11. n. (slang) A rampage. | |
| to go on a tear | |
| 12. n. 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. | |
| 13. n. Something in the form of a transparent drop of fluid matter; also, a solid, transparent, tear-shaped drop, as of some balsams or resins. | |
| 14. n. (glass manufacture) A partially vitrified bit of clay in glass. | |
| 15. n. That which causes or accompanies tears; a lament; a dirge. | |
| 16. v. (intransitive) To produce tears. | |
| Her eyes began to tear in the harsh wind. | |
