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.
this fluid appearing in or flowing from the eye as the result of emotion, especially grief: to shed tears.
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: little tears of morning dew.
Glassmaking. a decorative air bubble enclosed in a glass vessel; air bell.
tears,grief; sorrow.
verb (used without object)
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 for tear
in tears, weeping: He was in tears over the death of his dog.
Origin of tear
1
First recorded 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; (verb) Middle English teren, Old English teheran, in teherende (gerund), derivative of the noun; see lachrymal
verb (used with object),tore or (Archaic) tare,torn or (Archaic) tare,tear·ing.
to pull apart or in pieces by force, especially so as to leave ragged or irregular edges.
to pull or snatch violently; wrench away with force: to tear wrappings from a package; to tear a book from someone's hands.
to distress greatly: anguish that tears the heart.
to divide or disrupt: a country torn by civil war.
to wound or injure by or as if by rending; lacerate.
to produce or effect by rending: to tear a hole in one's coat.
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,tear·ing.
to become torn.
to make a tear or rent.
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
the act of tearing.
a rent or fissure.
a rage or passion; violent flurry or outburst.
Informal. a spree.
Verb Phrases
tear at,
to pluck violently at; attempt to tear: She tore at the bandages until they loosened.
to distress; afflict: remorse that tears at one's soul.
tear down,
to pull down; destroy; demolish.
to disparage or discredit: to tear down one's friends behind their backs.
tear into,Informal.
to attack impulsively and heedlessly: He tore into the food with a will.
to attack verbally: She tore into him for being late for dinner.
tear off,Slang. to perform or do, especially rapidly or casually: to tear off a poem; to tear off a set of tennis.
tear up,
to tear into small shreds: He tore up the drawings because she had criticized them.
to cancel or annul: to tear up a contract.
Origin of tear
2
First recorded before 900; Middle English teren (verb), Old English teran; cognate with Dutch teren, German zehren “to consume,” Gothic distairan “to destroy,” Greek dérein “to flay”
SYNONYMS FOR tear
1 rend, rip, rive.
3 break, crack, shatter, afflict.
4 disunite, split, splinter.
5 cut, mangle, slash.
12 rip, rift, rupture.
19a rip up.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR tear ON THESAURUS.COM
ANTONYMS FOR tear
1 mend, repair, sew.
4 unite, reunite, join, bind.
SEE ANTONYMS FOR tear ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for tear
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.
The recent tech stock tear has increased the wealth of Bezos, the richest man in the world, to $205 billion, making him the first person in history to be worth more than $200 billion.
MacKenzie Scott is now the wealthiest woman in the world|ehinchliffe|September 2, 2020|Fortune
The anti-fray design means you won’t have to deal with all the wear and tear that comes with regular use.
The best ankle weights for a sculpted lower body|PopSci Commerce Team|September 1, 2020|Popular Science
Laugh at “Like Crazy” and don’t be surprised if there’s a tear or two.
Learning to parent your parent|Terri Schlichenmeyer|August 21, 2020|Washington Blade
Then with my wife almost in tears, he threatened her with jail if she refused to sign.
An Officer’s Word Shouldn’t Be the Last Word|Andrew Taylor|August 19, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Tech shares have been on a tear this year as the Covid-19 pandemic drove more people online, lifting the fortunes of the companies’ founders and putting the industry under increased scrutiny.
Elon Musk adds another $8 billion to become world’s fourth-richest person|Verne Kopytoff|August 18, 2020|Fortune
Sam watches her fall apart, tear herself apart and is desperate.
Grief: The Real Monster in The Babadook|Tim Teeman|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And then he went on a tear in early 2013, creating one provocation after another, seemingly every day for more than two months.
Kim Jong Un’s Kid Gloves Are Now Off|Gordon G. Chang|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As Kate was driven away, she appeared to wipe a tear from her eye.
Tearful Kate Weeps After Meeting Mother Whose Baby Died|Tom Sykes|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Many of those gathering in the run-up to the grand jury decision wore hockey and tear gas masks to conceal their identity.
Justice Was Served in Ferguson—This Isn’t Jim Crow America|Ron Christie|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Another factor was that Hungary had already become the first East European Communist country to tear down their wall.
How The Cold War Endgame Played Out In The Rubble Of The Berlin Wall|William O’Connor|November 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The thirteen-year-old brow is puckered with anguish, the child-face pale with dread, tear after tear falls from the innocent eyes.
Stories and Pictures|Isaac Loeb Peretz
What does well enough on the target at home is often quite a failure in the wear and tear of the African wilderness.
Life of Frederick Courtenay Selous, D.S.O.|J.G. Millais
Her fingers clutched at the neck of her dress, as if to tear it open, and so relieve the swelling of her throat.
Name and Fame|Adeline Sergeant
But this was more the result of worry than of physical wear and tear.
The Enemies of Women|Vicente Blasco Ibez
In threatening to tear the mote from his eye, what about a certain obstruction in mine?
The Chauffeur and the Chaperon|C. N. Williamson
British Dictionary definitions for tear (1 of 2)
tear1
/ (tɪə) /
noun
a drop of the secretion of the lacrimal glandsSee tears
something shaped like a hanging dropa tear of amber
Also called (esp Brit): teardrop
Derived forms of tear
tearless, adjective
Word Origin for tear
Old English tēar, related to Old Frisian, Old Norse tār, Old High German zahar, Greek dakri
British Dictionary definitions for tear (2 of 2)
tear2
/ (tɛə) /
verbtears, tearing, toreortorn
to cause (material, paper, etc) to come apart or (of material, etc) to come apart; rip
(tr)to make (a hole or split) in (something)to tear a hole in a dress
(intr often foll by along) to hurry or rushto tear along the street
(tr; usually foll by away or from)to remove or take by force
(when intr, often foll by at) to cause pain, distress, or anguish (to)it tore at my heartstrings to see the starving child
tear one's hairinformalto be angry, frustrated, very worried, etc
noun
a hole, cut, or split
the act of tearing
a great hurry; rush
on a tearslangshowing a sudden burst of energy
See also tear away, tear down, tear into, tear off, torn
Derived forms of tear
tearable, adjectivetearer, noun
Word Origin for tear
Old English teran; related to Old Saxon terian, Gothic gatairan to destroy, Old High German zeran to destroy
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.
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.