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tear

/tɛɹ/noun, verb1 syllable

Tear means: move quickly and violently.

Synonyms for tear28

noun, as in an opening made forcibly as by pulling apart

rip, rent, snag, split

noun, as in an occasion for excessive eating or drinking

noun, as in a drop of the clear salty saline solution secreted by the lacrimal glands

teardrop

verb, as in move quickly and violently

shoot, shoot down, charge, buck, dart, dash, scoot, scud, flash

verb, as in strip of feathers

pluck, pull, deplume, deplumate, displume

verb, as in separate or cause to separate abruptly

also used for tear

rend, rip out, tear off, tear out

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What does tear mean?9

verb

1

move quickly and violently“The car tore down the street”

2

strip of feathers“pull a chicken”

3

separate or cause to separate abruptly“The rope snapped”

4

to separate or be separated by force“planks were in danger of being torn from the crossbars”

5

fill with tears or shed tears“Her eyes were tearing”

noun

1

an opening made forcibly as by pulling apart“there was a rip in his pants”

2

an occasion for excessive eating or drinking“they went on a bust that lasted three days”

3

a drop of the clear salty saline solution secreted by the lacrimal glands“his story brought tears to her eyes”

4

the act of tearing“he took the manuscript in both hands and gave it a mighty tear”

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with tear?52

Show 40 near rhymes

All 52 rhymes for tear, grouped by syllable

Tear in a sentence

  • She looked at me, with a tear in her eye.Hybrid
  • He looked at me, with a tear in his eye.Hybrid
  • Police intervened, firing tear gas to disperse the crowds.Hybrid
  • Many a tear was shed, but nary a word was spoken.purehearted
  • Inspect your tires for wear and tear, and replace them if necessary.CK
  • In order to share it, we'll have to tear it into two pieces.unknown
  • Doctors, however, found a labral tear of her right hip that will require surgery.Cangarejo
  • Inspect utensils for signs of wear and tear, like loose handles.Amastan

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of tear

as a noun

plural
tears

as a verb

past tense
tore
past participle
torn
present participle
tearing
third-person singular
tears