hair

[ hair ]

/ hɛər /

noun

any of the numerous fine, usually cylindrical, keratinous filaments growing from the skin of humans and animals; a pilus.

an aggregate of such filaments, as that covering the human head or forming the coat of most mammals.

a similar fine, filamentous outgrowth from the body of insects, spiders, etc.

Botany. a filamentous outgrowth of the epidermis.

cloth made of hair from animals, as camel and alpaca.

a very small amount, degree, measure, magnitude, etc.; a fraction, as of time or space: He lost the race by a hair.

Idioms for hair

get in someone's hair, Slang. to annoy or bother someone: Their snobbishness gets in my hair.

hair of the dog, Informal. a drink of liquor, supposed to relieve a hangover: Even a hair of the dog didn't help his aching head. Also hair of the dog that bit one.

let one's hair down, Informal.

to relax; behave informally: He finally let his hair down and actually cracked a joke.
to speak candidly or frankly; remove or reduce restraints: He let his hair down and told them about his anxieties.

make one's hair stand on end, to strike or fill with horror; terrify: The tales of the jungle made our hair stand on end.

split hairs, to make unnecessarily fine or petty distinctions: To argue about whether they arrived at two o'clock or at 2:01 is just splitting hairs.

tear one's hair, to manifest extreme anxiety, grief, or anger: He's tearing his hair over the way he was treated by them. Also tear one's hair out.

to a hair, perfect to the smallest detail; exactly: The reproduction matched the original to a hair.

without turning a hair, without showing the least excitement or emotion. Also not turn a hair.

Origin of hair

before 900; Middle English heer, Old English hǣr (cognate with Dutch, German haar, Old Norse hār), with vowel perhaps from Middle English haire hair shirt < Old French < Old High German hāria (cognate with Middle English here, Old English hǣre, Old Norse hǣra)

OTHER WORDS FROM hair

hair·like, adjective de·hair, verb (used with object)

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH hair

hair hare

Words nearby hair

hainan, hainan strait, hainaut, haines city, haiphong, hair, hair bulb, hair cast, hair cell, hair disk, hair follicle

Definition for tear one's hair (2 of 2)

tear ²

[ tair ]

/ tɛər /

verb (used with object), tore or (Archaic) tare, torn or (Archaic) tare, tear·ing.

to pull apart or in pieces by force, especially so as to leave ragged or irregular edges.

to pull or snatch violently; wrench away with force: to tear wrappings from a package; to tear a book from someone's hands.

to distress greatly: anguish that tears the heart.

to divide or disrupt: a country torn by civil war.

to wound or injure by or as if by rending; lacerate.

to produce or effect by rending: to tear a hole in one's coat.

to remove by force or effort: to be unable to tear oneself from a place.

verb (used without object), tore or (Archaic) tare, torn or (Archaic) tare, tear·ing.

to become torn.

to make a tear or rent.

to move or behave with force, violent haste, or energy: The wind tore through the trees; cars tearing up and down the highway; I was tearing around all afternoon trying to find sandals for the beach.

noun

the act of tearing.

a rent or fissure.

a rage or passion; violent flurry or outburst.

Informal. a spree.

Verb Phrases

tear at,

to pluck violently at; attempt to tear: She tore at the bandages until they loosened.
to distress; afflict: remorse that tears at one's soul.

tear down,

to pull down; destroy; demolish.
to disparage or discredit: to tear down one's friends behind their backs.

tear into, Informal.

to attack impulsively and heedlessly: He tore into the food with a will.
to attack verbally: She tore into him for being late for dinner.

tear off, Slang. to perform or do, especially rapidly or casually: to tear off a poem; to tear off a set of tennis.

tear up,

to tear into small shreds: He tore up the drawings because she had criticized them.
to cancel or annul: to tear up a contract.

Origin of tear

before 900; Middle English teren (v.), Old English teran; cognate with Dutch teren, German zehren to consume, Gothic distairan to destroy, Greek dérein to flay

synonym study for tear

1. Tear, rend, rip mean to pull apart. To tear is to split the fibers of something by pulling apart, usually so as to leave ragged or irregular edges: to tear open a letter. Rend implies force or violence in tearing apart or in pieces: to rend one's clothes in grief. Rip implies vigorous tearing asunder, especially along a seam or line: to rip the sleeves out of a coat.

OTHER WORDS FROM tear

tear·a·ble, adjective tear·a·ble·ness, noun tear·er, noun un·tear·a·ble, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for tear one's hair (1 of 3)

hair

/ (hɛə) /

noun

any of the threadlike pigmented structures that grow from follicles beneath the skin of mammals and consist of layers of dead keratinized cells

a growth of such structures, as on the human head or animal body, which helps prevent heat loss from the body

botany any threadlike outgrowth from the epidermis, such as a root hair

a fabric or material made from the hair of some animals
(as modifier)a hair carpet; a hair shirt

another word for hair's-breadth to lose by a hair

get in someone's hair informal to annoy someone persistently

hair of the dog or hair of the dog that bit one an alcoholic drink taken as an antidote to a hangover

keep your hair on! British informal keep calm

let one's hair down to behave without reserve

not turn a hair to show no surprise, anger, fear, etc

split hairs to make petty and unnecessary distinctions

Derived forms of hair

hairlike, adjective

Word Origin for hair

Old English hær; related to Old Norse hār, Old High German hār hair, Norwegian herren stiff, hard, Lettish sari bristles, Latin crescere to grow

British Dictionary definitions for tear one's hair (2 of 3)

tear ¹

/ (tɪə) /

noun

a drop of the secretion of the lacrimal glands See tears

something shaped like a hanging drop a tear of amber

Also called (esp Brit): teardrop

Derived forms of tear

tearless, adjective

Word Origin for tear

Old English tēar, related to Old Frisian, Old Norse tār, Old High German zahar, Greek dakri

British Dictionary definitions for tear one's hair (3 of 3)

tear ²

/ (tɛə) /

verb tears, tearing, tore or torn

to cause (material, paper, etc) to come apart or (of material, etc) to come apart; rip

(tr) to make (a hole or split) in (something) to tear a hole in a dress

(intr often foll by along) to hurry or rush to tear along the street

(tr; usually foll by away or from) to remove or take by force

(when intr, often foll by at) to cause pain, distress, or anguish (to) it tore at my heartstrings to see the starving child

tear one's hair informal to be angry, frustrated, very worried, etc

noun

a hole, cut, or split

the act of tearing

a great hurry; rush

on a tear slang showing a sudden burst of energy

See also tear away, tear down, tear into, tear off, torn

Derived forms of tear

tearable, adjective tearer, noun

Word Origin for tear

Old English teran; related to Old Saxon terian, Gothic gatairan to destroy, Old High German zeran to destroy

Medical definitions for tear one's hair

hair

[ hâr ]

n.

Any of the cylindrical, keratinized, often pigmented filaments characteristically growing from the epidermis of a mammal.

A growth of such filaments, as that forming the coat of an animal or covering the scalp of a human.

One of the fine hairlike processes of a sensory cell.

Scientific definitions for tear one's hair (1 of 2)

hair

[ hâr ]

One of the fine strands that grow from the skin of mammals, usually providing insulation against the cold. Modified hairs sometimes serve as protective defenses, as in the quills of a porcupine or hedgehog, or as tactile organs, as in the whiskers (called vibrissae) of many nocturnal mammals. Hair filaments are a modification of the epidermis of the skin and are composed primarily of keratin. Hair also contains melanin, which determines hair color.

A slender growth resembling a mammalian hair, found on insects and other animals.

A fine, threadlike growth from the epidermis of plants. See more at trichome.

Scientific definitions for tear one's hair (2 of 2)

tear

[ tîr ]

A drop of the clear salty liquid secreted by glands (lacrimal glands) in the eyes. Tears wet the membrane covering the eye and help rid the eye of irritating substances.

Idioms and Phrases with tear one's hair (1 of 3)

tear one's hair

Also, tear out one's hair. Be greatly upset or distressed, as in I'm tearing my hair over these errors. This expression alludes to literally tearing out one's hair in a frenzy of grief or anger, a usage dating from a.d. 1000. Today it is generally hyperbolic.

Idioms and Phrases with tear one's hair (2 of 3)

hair

In addition to the idioms beginning with hair

hair of the dog that bit you
hair shirt

also see:

bad hair day
by a hair
by the short hairs
fair-haired boy
get gray hair from
hang by a thread (hair)
hide or hair
in someone's hair
let one's hair down
make one's hair stand on end
put lead in one's pencil (hair on one's chest)
split hairs
tear one's hair
turn a hair

Idioms and Phrases with tear one's hair (3 of 3)

tear

In addition to the idioms beginning with tear

tear apart
tear around
tear at
tear away
tear down
tear into
tear it
tear off
tear one's hair

also see:

rip (tear) into
wear and tear

Also see undertearstorn.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

hair

noun

Idioms for hair

Origin of hair

OTHER WORDS FROM hair

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH hair

Words nearby hair

Definition for tear one's hair (2 of 2)

verb (used with object), tore or (Archaic) tare, torn or (Archaic) tare, tear·ing.

verb (used without object), tore or (Archaic) tare, torn or (Archaic) tare, tear·ing.

noun

Verb Phrases

Origin of tear

synonym study for tear

OTHER WORDS FROM tear

British Dictionary definitions for tear one's hair (1 of 3)

noun

Derived forms of hair

Word Origin for hair

British Dictionary definitions for tear one's hair (2 of 3)

noun

Derived forms of tear

Word Origin for tear

British Dictionary definitions for tear one's hair (3 of 3)

verb tears, tearing, tore or torn

noun

Derived forms of tear

Word Origin for tear

Medical definitions for tear one's hair

n.

Scientific definitions for tear one's hair (1 of 2)

Scientific definitions for tear one's hair (2 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with tear one's hair (1 of 3)

Idioms and Phrases with tear one's hair (2 of 3)

Idioms and Phrases with tear one's hair (3 of 3)