torn

[ tawrn, tohrn ]

/ tɔrn, toʊrn /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR torn ON THESAURUS.COM

verb

past participle of tear².

OTHER WORDS FROM torn

un·torn, adjective

Words nearby torn

torino, torment, tormentil, tormentor, tormé, torn, torn between, be, tornado, tornado belt, tornaria, torne

Definition for torn (2 of 3)

tear ¹

[ teer ]

/ tɪər /

noun

a drop of the saline, watery fluid continually secreted by the lacrimal glands between the surface of the eye and the eyelid, serving to moisten and lubricate these parts and keep them clear of foreign particles.

this fluid appearing in or flowing from the eye as the result of emotion, especially grief: to shed tears.

something resembling or suggesting a tear, as a drop of a liquid or a tearlike mass of a solid substance, especially having a spherical or globular shape at one end and tapering to a point at the other: teardrop earrings.

Glassmaking. a decorative air bubble enclosed in a glass vessel; air bell.

tears, grief; sorrow.

verb (used without object)

to fill up and overflow with tears, as the eyes (often followed by up): My eyes were tearing in the wind. He teared up when he heard the news.

Origin of tear

before 900; (noun) Middle English teer, Old English tēar, tehher, taeher; cognate with Old High German zahar, Old Norse tār, Gothic tagr, Greek dákry, Latin lacrima (see lachrymal); (v.) Middle English teren, Old English teheran, in teherende (gerund), derivative of the noun

Definition for torn (3 of 3)

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

Example sentences from the Web for torn

It's about the delicate fabric of the universe and how our fragile insides crumble when that fabric is torn.

Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days |David Freeman |December 13, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
But the picture is torn in half by the geographic separation of the friezes.

Britain Has Lost Its Marbles: Elgin Loan Will Appease Putin |Geoffrey Robertson |December 5, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
But in 2002, the Park family was torn apart when he was arrested for illegal trading and sentenced to 17 years in prison.

How ‘Titanic ’Helped This Brave Young Woman Escape North Korea’s Totalitarian State |Lizzie Crocker |October 31, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Female video game developers like Zoe Quinn have been torn apart and harassed for fabricated scandals.

Is ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Immune to GamerGate Misogyny? |David Levesley |October 29, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

The Oscar winning actress has been torn to shreds by the media and public for her altered face.

Renee Zellweger’s Fine, But We Need Some Work: The Toxic Pursuit of ‘Effortless’ Beauty |Amanda Marcotte |October 22, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Teeny-bits stood up stiffly and began to pull on his torn sweater, while the two Chinese watched him with fascinated eyes.

The Mark of the Knife |Clayton H. Ernst
Then he began to be sore perplexed, and torn with agonising doubts.

Hard Cash |Charles Reade
But by this time Jasmine had torn the envelope open, and was oblivious to all Daisy's comments.

The Palace Beautiful |L. T. Meade
Figures tumbled out of it, in torn and ragged garments fashioned in the style of the very best tailors of the Earths underworld.

The Fifth-Dimension Tube |William Fitzgerald Jenkins
She noticed that my dress was torn and flowers crushed, but said, what was quite true, that no one would remark it in the crowd.

Letters of a Diplomat's Wife |Mary King Waddington

British Dictionary definitions for torn (1 of 3)

torn

/ (tɔːn) /

verb

the past participle of tear 1 (def. 2)

that's torn it British slang an unexpected event or circumstance has upset one's plans

adjective

split or cut

divided or undecided, as in preference he was torn between staying and leaving

British Dictionary definitions for torn (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 torn (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

Scientific definitions for torn

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 torn

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

torn

verb

OTHER WORDS FROM torn

Words nearby torn

Definition for torn (2 of 3)