tear1

[teer] /tɪər/
noun
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.
Synonyms: teardrop.
2.
this fluid appearing in or flowing from the eye as the result of emotion, especially grief:
to shed tears.
3.
something resembling or suggesting a tear, as a drop of a liquid or a tearlike mass of a solid substance, especially having a spherical or globular shape at one end and tapering to a point at the other:
teardrop earrings.
4.
Glassmaking. a decorative air bubble enclosed in a glass vessel; air bell.
5.
tears, grief; sorrow.
verb (used without object)
6.
to fill up and overflow with tears, as the eyes (often followed by up):
My eyes were tearing in the wind. He teared up when he heard the news.
Idioms
7.
in tears, weeping:
He was in tears over the death of his dog.
Origin
before 900; (noun) Middle English teer, Old English tēar, tehher, taeher; cognate with Old High German zahar, Old Norse tār, Gothic tagr, Greek dákry, Latin lacrima (see lachrymal); (v.) Middle English teren, Old English teheran, in teherende (gerund), derivative of the noun

tear2

[tair] /tɛər/
verb (used with object), tore or (Archaic) tare, torn or (Archaic) tare, tearing.
1.
to pull apart or in pieces by force, especially so as to leave ragged or irregular edges.
Synonyms: rend, rip, rive.
Antonyms: mend, repair, sew.
2.
to pull or snatch violently; wrench away with force:
to tear wrappings from a package; to tear a book from someone's hands.
3.
to distress greatly:
anguish that tears the heart.
Synonyms: break, crack, shatter, afflict.
4.
to divide or disrupt:
a country torn by civil war.
Synonyms: disunite, split, splinter.
Antonyms: unite, reunite, join, bind.
5.
to wound or injure by or as if by rending; lacerate.
Synonyms: cut, mangle, slash.
6.
to produce or effect by rending:
to tear a hole in one's coat.
7.
to remove by force or effort:
to be unable to tear oneself from a place.
verb (used without object), tore or (Archaic) tare, torn or (Archaic) tare, tearing.
8.
to become torn.
9.
to make a tear or rent.
10.
to move or behave with force, violent haste, or energy:
The wind tore through the trees; cars tearing up and down the highway; I was tearing around all afternoon trying to find sandals for the beach.
noun
11.
the act of tearing.
12.
a rent or fissure.
Synonyms: rip, rift, rupture.
13.
a rage or passion; violent flurry or outburst.
14.
Informal. a spree.
Verb phrases
15.
tear at,
  1. to pluck violently at; attempt to tear:
    She tore at the bandages until they loosened.
  2. to distress; afflict:
    remorse that tears at one's soul.
16.
tear down,
  1. to pull down; destroy; demolish.
  2. to disparage or discredit:
    to tear down one's friends behind their backs.
17.
tear into, Informal.
  1. to attack impulsively and heedlessly:
    He tore into the food with a will.
  2. to attack verbally:
    She tore into him for being late for dinner.
18.
tear off, Slang. to perform or do, especially rapidly or casually:
to tear off a poem; to tear off a set of tennis.
19.
tear up,
  1. to tear into small shreds:
    He tore up the drawings because she had criticized them.
    Synonyms: rip up.
  2. to cancel or annul:
    to tear up a contract.
Idioms
20.
tear it, Slang. to ruin all hope; spoil everything.
21.
tear one's hair, to manifest extreme anxiety, grief, anger, or frustration:
I'm so upset, I could just tear my hair out.
Also, tear one's hair out.
Origin
before 900; Middle English teren (v.), Old English teran; cognate with Dutch teren, German zehren to consume, Gothic distairan to destroy, Greek dérein to flay
Related forms
tearable, adjective
tearableness, noun
tearer, noun
untearable, adjective
Synonym Study
1. Tear, rend, rip mean to pull apart. To tear is to split the fibers of something by pulling apart, usually so as to leave ragged or irregular edges: to tear open a letter. Rend implies force or violence in tearing apart or in pieces: to rend one's clothes in grief. Rip implies vigorous tearing asunder, especially along a seam or line: to rip the sleeves out of a coat.
Examples from the web for tear
  • tear cooked meat into coarse shreds or cut into thin slices.
  • But a lovely brown egg, making me nearly shed a tear.
  • tear off a little basil while you're in the garden, and nibble it while you pick a handful of shelling peas.
  • Sarcasm does tear the flesh but humor and wit is a different story and often confused with the corniest of joke tellers.
  • Poverty rates are dropping, consumer demand is rising and infrastructure development is on a tear.
  • They use their strong claws to tear them open and they use their saliva-covered, two-feet-long tongues to gather prey.
  • Amid a flurry of banners and a cloud of dust each year, the horses tear down the track.
  • The animals use their keen sense of smell to detect termite mounds and anthills and tear them open with strong claws.
  • He repeatedly tried to tear off his gown and had to be restrained.
  • Anteaters use their keen sense of smell to detect termite mounds and anthills and tear them open with their strong claws.
British Dictionary definitions for tear

tear1

/tɪə/
noun
1.
a drop of the secretion of the lacrimal glands See tears
2.
something shaped like a hanging drop: a tear of amber
Also called (esp Brit) teardrop
Derived Forms
tearless, adjective
Word Origin
Old English tēar, related to Old Frisian, Old Norse tār, Old High German zahar, Greek dakri

tear2

/tɛə/
verb tears, tearing, tore, torn
1.
to cause (material, paper, etc) to come apart or (of material, etc) to come apart; rip
2.
(transitive) to make (a hole or split) in (something): to tear a hole in a dress
3.
(intransitive) often foll by along. to hurry or rush: to tear along the street
4.
(transitive; usually foll by away or from) to remove or take by force
5.
when intr, often foll by at. to cause pain, distress, or anguish (to): it tore at my heartstrings to see the starving child
6.
(informal) tear one's hair, to be angry, frustrated, very worried, etc
noun
7.
a hole, cut, or split
8.
the act of tearing
9.
a great hurry; rush
10.
(slang) on a tear, showing a sudden burst of energy
See also tear away, tear down, tear into, tear off, torn
Derived Forms
tearable, adjective
tearer, noun
Word Origin
Old English teran; related to Old Saxon terian, Gothic gatairan to destroy, Old High German zeran to destroy
Word Origin and History for tear
n.

"water from the eye," Old English tear, from earlier teahor, tæhher, from Proto-Germanic *takh-, *tagr- (cf. Old Norse, Old Frisian tar, Old High German zahar, German Zähre, Gothic tagr "tear"), from PIE *dakru-/*draku- (cf. Latin lacrima, Old Latin dacrima, Irish der, Welsh deigr, Greek dakryma). Tear gas first recorded 1917.

"act of ripping or rending," 1660s, from tear (v.1).

v.

"pull apart," Old English teran (class IV strong verb; past tense tær, past participle toren), from Proto-Germanic *teran (cf. Old Saxon terian, Middle Dutch teren "to consume," Old High German zeran "to destroy," German zehren, Gothic ga-tairan "to tear, destroy"), from PIE *der- "tear" (cf. Sanskrit drnati "cleaves, bursts," Greek derein "to flay," Armenian terem "I flay," Old Church Slavonic dera "to burst asunder," Breton darn "piece").

The Old English past tense survived long enough to get into Bible translations as tare before giving place 17c. to tore, which is from the old past participle toren. Sense of "to pull by force" (away from some situation or attachment) is attested from late 13c. To be torn between two things (desires, loyalties, etc.) is from 1871.

1650s, mainly in American English, from tear (n.1). Related: Teared; tearing. Old English verb tæherian did not survive into Middle English.

tear in Medicine

tear 1 (târ)
n.
A rip or rent in a material or structure.

tear 2 (tēr)
n.
A drop of the clear salty liquid that is secreted by the lacrimal gland of the eye to lubricate the surface between the eyeball and eyelid and to wash away irritants.

tear in Science
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.
Slang definitions & phrases for tear

tear 1

noun

A drinking spree; bender, binge: Fred wanted to go on a little tear in the big town (1869+)

Related Terms

on a tear


tear 2

verb

To go very fast; rush around rapidly: McAllister had no inclination to go tear-assing up the slope and into the hills (entry form 1599+, variant 1940s+)


tear 3

noun

A pearl

[fr the tear shape of some pearls]


Idioms and Phrases with tear

tear

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