tore
B1Neutral to informal. Common in everyday speech and narrative writing. More formal registers might use alternatives like 'ripped' or 'separated'.
Definition
Meaning
The past tense of 'tear' (verb), meaning to pull or rip something apart or into pieces, often with force.
Can metaphorically describe moving very quickly or recklessly, or describe causing emotional pain, as in a heart being torn.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Implies a result of damage or separation, not a clean cut. Often carries connotations of violence, haste, or strong emotion.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning. Minor differences in likely collocates (e.g., 'tore up the pavement' UK vs. 'tore up the sidewalk' US).
Connotations
Identical.
Frequency
Slightly higher frequency in American English in the metaphorical 'move quickly' sense (e.g., 'He tore out of here').
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Subject] tore [Object] (e.g., She tore the paper)[Subject] tore [Object] [Prepositional Phrase] (e.g., He tore the package open)[Subject] tore [Prepositional Phrase] (Intransitive - motion, e.g., The car tore down the street)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “tore a strip off someone (severely scold)”
- “tore their hair out (was extremely frustrated)”
- “heart tore (felt sudden emotional pain)”
- “tore up the rulebook (acted radically)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare. Possibly in contexts of contracts being torn up or market forces tearing apart a sector.
Academic
Rare in literal sense; used in literary analysis for metaphorical destruction.
Everyday
Very common for physical damage (clothes, paper) and rapid movement.
Technical
Used in materials science or engineering to describe failure under tensile stress.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The dog tore the cushion and feathers went everywhere.
- She tore the label off the jar before recycling it.
- The cyclist tore round the corner at a dangerous speed.
American English
- The toddler tore the pages out of the magazine.
- He tore up the ticket in frustration.
- A truck tore past us on the freeway.
adjective
British English
- There's a tore ligament that needs medical attention. (Colloquial/Non-standard)
- The wore and tore furniture was due for replacement. (In fixed phrase 'wear and tear')
American English
- The tore-up document was in the trash. (Colloquial/Non-standard)
- He showed me his tore-up jeans. (Informal)
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I tore my shirt on a nail.
- The child tore the wrapping paper quickly.
- The storm tore several tiles from the roof.
- She tore the old photograph into tiny pieces.
- His betrayal tore their family apart.
- The critic tore into the author's new novel.
- The decision tore at her conscience for weeks.
- Revolutionary ideas tore through the fabric of the old society.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a bull (a TORO) tearing through a red cape. TORE sounds like TORO, and the bull's action is to tear.
Conceptual Metaphor
EMOTION IS PHYSICAL FORCE ("The news tore her apart"). SPEED IS VIOLENT MOTION ("He tore down the road").
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid confusing with 'тор' (tor), an electrical unit. The Russian verb 'рвать' covers 'tear', 'vomit', and 'pick (flowers)', requiring context selection.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'torn' instead of 'tore' for simple past (e.g., 'He torn the letter' is incorrect). Confusing with 'tour'. Spelling as 'tored'.
Practice
Quiz
Which sentence uses 'tore' metaphorically?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, 'tear-tore-torn' is an irregular verb pattern.
Not in standard English. The past participle 'torn' is used as an adjective (e.g., a torn page). 'Tore' is sometimes heard in very informal or dialectal speech as an adjective.
They are often synonyms, but 'tore' can sound more violent or forceful. 'Ripped' is more common for controlled actions (ripped along the dotted line) and is also slang for being muscular.
'Tore' rhymes with 'for' (/tɔːr/). 'Tour' can rhyme with 'poor' (/tʊə(r)/ in UK, /tʊr/ in US), making them distinct in most accents.