tore

[ tawr, tohr ]

/ tɔr, toʊr /

verb

simple past tense of tear².

Nonstandard. a past participle of tear².

Words nearby tore

torchon lace, torchwood, torchy, torchère, tordesillas, tore, toreador, toreador fresco, the, toreador pants, torelli, torenia

Definition for tore (2 of 4)

tore ²

[ tawr, tohr ]

/ tɔr, toʊr /

noun

a torus.

Origin of tore

< French < Latin torus

Definition for tore (3 of 4)

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 tore (4 of 4)

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 tore

He tore a piece of meat off the breast and stroked her coat while she ate.

The Stacks: A Chicken Dinner That Mends Your Heart |Pete Dexter |December 7, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
[Me and George] met at the Venice Film Festival years ago, and sort of tore the place up.

Bill Murray’s Words of Wisdom: On Comedy, the Greatness of In-N-Out, and Searching For Great Love |Marlow Stern |October 10, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
When his turn arrived Daylyt said nothing, tore off the mask, and rent his clothes, removing his microphone in the process.

America’s Poets: Battle Rap Gets Real |Rich Goldstein |July 15, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Columnist Art Buchwald, then engaged in a long-running feud with Alsop, tore the photos up.

Gay Men and the Presidents Who Loved Them |James Kirchick |June 24, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

“These vehicles are just twisted and tore up in pieces,” Pennington said.

Rescue Efforts Were Delayed Following Deadly Landslide in Washington |Stacey Solie |March 26, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The devi filled his mouth, tore off the flesh, and threw the bones to the three brothers.

Georgian Folk Tales |Unknown
Henricksen tore his glasses from his eyes, and emerging from the tent, groped on the desk for the weapon he had left there.

Under the Chinese Dragon |F. S. Brereton
When I was free I tore a black-maned lion to pieces for prowling round our den.

Acrobats and Mountebanks |Hugues Le Roux
The host, with a sudden gesture, tore off his mask and the Burglar accelerated his pace.

The Chase of the Golden Plate |Jacques Futrelle
The Duke put his arm around him to support him, but the cuirassiers surged against them and tore them apart.

Hero Tales of the Far North |Jacob A. Riis

British Dictionary definitions for tore (1 of 4)

tore ¹

/ (tɔː) /

verb

the past tense of tear 1

British Dictionary definitions for tore (2 of 4)

tore ²

/ (tɔː) /

noun

architect another name for torus (def. 1)

Word Origin for tore

C17: from French, from Latin: torus

British Dictionary definitions for tore (3 of 4)

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 tore (4 of 4)

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 tore

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 tore

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

tore

verb

Words nearby tore

Definition for tore (2 of 4)

noun

Origin of tore

Definition for tore (3 of 4)