Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - tear

~1 n 1 a drop of salty liquid that flows from your eye when you are crying  (Tears just rolled down his face. | tear-stained cheeks | (be) in tears (=crying))  (My wife actually broke down in tears telling me. | burst into tears (=suddenly start crying))  (Bridget burst into tears and ran out. | be close to tears/be on the verge of tears (=be almost crying) | fight back tears (=try very hard not to cry) | bring tears to sb's eyes (=make someone almost cry))  (It's music that'll bring tears to the eyes of grown men. | reduce sb to tears (=make someone cry, especially by being unkind to them) | shed tears (=cry because you are sad))  (Few of us shed any tears when Miss Crabbe left. | tears of joy/laughter etc)  (Tears of gratitude shone in his eyes.) 2 it'll (all) end in tears BrE spoken used to warn someone that what they are doing will have an unpleasant result and cause unhappiness  (- see also bore sb to tears bore2 (1), shed crocodile tears crocodile (4)) ~2 v past tense tore past participle torn 1 »PAPER CLOTH« a) to damage something such as paper or cloth by pulling it too hard or letting it touch something sharp  (Oh no! I've torn my T-shirt. | tear sth on sth)  (Be careful you don't tear your sleeve on that nail. | tear sth out/off/away etc (=remove something by tearing it away from something else))  (Someone's torn the last page out. | tear a hole in sth)  ("Oh Rick, you've torn a hole in your best pants." | tear sth to shreds/pieces (=tear something so much that it is in small pieces.))  (The contract lay on the ground, torn to shreds. | tear sth open (=to open something very quickly by tearing it))  (Lister grabbed the envelope and tore it open to see if he'd got the job.) b) if paper or cloth tears, a hole appears in it, or it splits, because it has been pulled too hard or has touched something sharp  (Careful, the paper is very old and tears easily.) 2 »MOVE QUICKLY« to move somewhere very quickly, especially in a dangerous or careless way + away/up/past etc  (The way the big kids tear around the garden on their bikes, it's dangerous for the little ones.) 3 »REMOVE STH« T always + adv/prep to pull something violently from the place where it is fixed or held  (tear sth/from/away etc)  (The wind tore the door from its hinges..) 4 tear loose to escape from something that is holding you by moving violently  (The dog tore loose and ran off.) 5 be torn between to be unable to decide between two people or things, because you want both  (I'm torn between getting a new car and going on vacation.) 6 be torn by sth a) to feel very worried, guilty, anxious etc because you are affected by a strong emotion or feeling  (I was torn by conflicting impulses.) b) if a country or family is torn by an argument, war etc, it is very badly affected by it  (a nation torn by war and riots) 7 tear sb/sth to shreds/pieces to criticize someone or something very severely  (In the end the prosecutor's case was torn to shreds by Russell's lawyer.) 8 »MUSCLE« to damage a muscle or ligament (=a strong band connected to your muscles) 9 tear sb off a strip/tear a strip off sb BrE informal to criticize someone angrily because they have done something wrong 10 tear sb limb from limb humorous to attack someone in a very violent way  (When I get hold of the person responsible, I'll tear them limb from limb.) 11 tear your hair out informal to be very anxious or angry about something  (I've been tearing my hair out sorting out these wedding arrangements.) 12 be in a tearing hurry BrE to be doing something very quickly, especially because you are late 13 tear sb's heart out to make someone feel extremely upset  (She's so lonely - it's tearing my heart out.) 14 that's torn it! BrE spoken used when something bad has happened that stops you from doing what you intended to do  (That's torn it! I've left my keys in the car!) tear sb/sth apart phr v 1 to make someone feel extremely unhappy or upset  (It tears me apart to see them argue.) 2 to cause serious arguments in an organization, group etc  (Scandal is tearing the government apart.) 3 to break something into many small pieces, especially in a violent way  (a carcass torn apart by wolves) tear at sb/sth phr v to pull violently at someone or something  (The children were screaming and tearing at each other's hair.) tear away phr v 1 to suddenly start moving very quickly  (The car tore away into the distance.) 2 tear yourself away (from) to leave a place or person very unwillingly because you have to  (Could you please tear yourself away from the TV and help me for a minute.) tear sth down phr v to knock down a large building or part of a building  (It's time some of these old apartment blocks were torn down.) tear into sb/sth phr v T not in passive 1 to attack someone by hitting them very hard  (boxers tearing into each other) 2 to criticize someone very strongly, especially unfairly  (All I said was that she could maybe try harder and she really tore into me.) tear off phr v 1 T tear something off) to remove your clothes as quickly as you can  (Ben tore off his coat and dived in to rescue the child.) 2 to suddenly start moving very quickly  (I must tear off to the store before it closes.) 3 T tear something off) BrE informal to write something in a short time  (I tore off a letter.) tear sth up phr v 1 to destroy a piece of paper or cloth by breaking it into small pieces  (Crying, she tore up his letter.) 2 to damage or ruin a place, especially by behaving violently  (football fans tearing up the grounds) 3 tear up an agreement/contract etc to suddenly decide to stop being restricted by a contract etc ~3 n a hole in a piece of cloth, paper etc where it has been torn  (- see also wear and tear wear2 (4))