tear apart
Upset or make distraught, as in The parents' divorce tore apart the grandparents. [Second half of 1800s]
Criticize severely, as in The professor tore her paper apart. [Mid-1900s]
Search some place completely, as in The police tore the house apart. [Second half of 1900s]
Separate, especially unwillingly, as in The war tore many families apart.
Words nearby tear apart
teapot,
teapot dome,
teapoy,
tear,
tear 1,
tear apart,
tear around,
tear at,
tear away,
tear bomb,
tear down