tear
B1Neutral (both literal and figurative senses are common in all registers)
Definition
Meaning
To pull or rip something apart or into pieces with force; a drop of liquid from the eye.
The act of damaging by pulling apart; to move very quickly; a hole or split caused by ripping; emotional distress (as in 'tears of joy').
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Two distinct homographs: 1) /tɛə/ (verb/noun) meaning to rip. 2) /tɪə/ (noun) meaning a drop from the eye. The context always disambiguates.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. Spelling and core meanings are identical. The verb 'tear up' (to rip into pieces) is slightly more common in AmE for paper disposal.
Connotations
Similar emotional connotations for 'tear' (crying). The phrasal verb 'tear into' (criticise) is equally strong in both.
Frequency
Both forms are high-frequency. The crying 'tear' is slightly more frequent in general corpora.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
NP tear NPNP tear NP ADJ (tear it open)NP tear NP PP (tear it into pieces)NP tear PP (tear through the town)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “tear one's hair out”
- “wear and tear”
- “tear someone to shreds”
- “blood, sweat and tears”
- “crocodile tears”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
'Wear and tear' is common in contracts/leasing. 'Tear into the competition' is figurative.
Academic
Used literally in materials science. Figuratively in literary analysis ('a narrative torn by conflict').
Everyday
Very high frequency: tearing paper, packaging; crying.
Technical
In ophthalmology for 'tear film'; in engineering for 'tear strength' of materials.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- Be careful not to tear the document.
- He'll tear a strip off you for being late.
- The children tore through the house.
American English
- Don't tear the label off.
- The quarterback can tear up the field.
- She tore into him during the meeting.
adverb
British English
- N/A
American English
- N/A
adjective
British English
- N/A for this word. The related adjective is 'tearful'.
American English
- N/A for this word. The related adjective is 'tearful'.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I saw a tear in her eye.
- The paper is old and will tear easily.
- He had a tear in his jacket.
- She tried not to tear up during the sad film.
- You need to tear the coupon along the dotted line.
- Tears of happiness rolled down her cheeks.
- The scandal threatened to tear the community apart.
- He tore the contract in two after reading the terms.
- Her emotional speech brought a tear to every eye.
- The critic tore the author's latest novel to shreds in his review.
- Economic pressures are tearing at the social fabric of the nation.
- His performance was nuanced, evoking not just tears but profound reflection.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
A TEAR (rip) in your eye can make you shed a TEAR (drop). The EAR is in tEAR but not in tEAR (cry).
Conceptual Metaphor
EMOTION IS A FLUID IN A CONTAINER (tears well up, burst out). DAMAGE IS PHYSICAL FORCE (tear apart a reputation).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse 'tear' /tɛr/ (рвать) with 'tire' /taɪə/ (шина).
- The noun 'tear' /tɪr/ is singular; 'tears' is plural. Russian 'слеза' is singular, but English often uses plural 'tears'.
- Avoid literal translation of 'рвать на части' as 'tear on parts' – use 'tear to pieces'.
Common Mistakes
- Pronunciation confusion: saying /tɪr/ for rip or /tɛr/ for cry.
- Spelling: confusing 'tear' with 'tare' (weight).
- Using 'tear' as a verb for crying (incorrect). The verb is 'cry' or 'weep'.
Practice
Quiz
Which sentence uses 'tear' as a noun meaning a drop from the eye?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes: tear - tore - torn. 'He tore the letter yesterday. It was torn into pieces.'
Tears. It is almost always used in the plural form when referring to crying, e.g., 'She had tears in her eyes.'
It means to cause someone severe emotional pain or to criticise them very harshly.
Not directly. The related adjective is 'tearful' (crying). For the rip meaning, you might say 'torn' (adjective) or 'tearable' (rare).