on a tear

English

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

on a tear

/ɒn ə ˈtɛə(ɹ)/

phrase

idiomatic Engaged in a continuous, fast-paced procession of actions or events, especially with favorable results. [T]he team was on a tear, having laid waste to three early round tournament opponents by a total victory margin of 82 points.
idiomatic In or into a protracted state of agitation, fury, or zeal. Congress has been hopping mad and the U.N.-haters have been on a tear.
idiomatic Binge drinking; engaged in a bout of heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages; on a bender. The man I want to tell you about, the one I met at the bar at Jimmy's Steak House, was on a tear. Hardly surprising, since this was a bar, after all, and what do people do at bars except drink, and one drink leads to another -- and if you're in a certain frame of mind, I suppose, you don't stop for

Talk about this word

Cite this

MLA

"on a tear." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/on%20a%20tear. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

APA

on a tear. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/on%20a%20tear

Chicago

"on a tear." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/on%20a%20tear.

BibTeX

@misc{on_a_tear_2026,
  title = {on a tear},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/on%20a%20tear},
  urldate = {2026-11-07}
}