tear
To rend (a solid material) by holding or restraining in two places and pulling apart, whether intentionally or not; to destroy or separate.
Example
“He tore his coat on the nail.”
Other meanings
To injure as if by pulling apart.
“He tore some muscles in a weight-lifting accident.”
To destroy or reduce abstract unity or coherence, such as social, political or emotional.
“He was torn by conflicting emotions.”
Related words
- tearsheet
Example sentences
Word history
From Old English "teran" (to tear, lacerate).
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “tear” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; example sentences are from Tatoeba, credited to their authors above, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.