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tear

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tear¹

  • /tɛə/ UK
  • /tɛː/ British, Southern, Standard
  • /tɛɹ/ US
  • /teː/ Australia
  • /tiə/
  • /teə/ New Zealand
  • /teɹ/ Scotland
  • /tɜː(ɹ)/

Sounds like tare · Rhymes with -ɛə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

From Middle English teren, from Old English teran (“to tear, lacerate”), from Proto-Germanic *teraną (“to tear, tear apart, rip”), from Proto-Indo-European *der- (“to tear, tear apart”).

Cognate with Scots tere, teir, tair (“to rend, lacerate, wound, rip, tear out”), Dutch teren (“to eliminate, efface, live, survive by consumption”), German zehren (“to consume, misuse”), German zerren (“to tug, rip, tear”), Danish tære (“to consume”), Swedish tära (“to fret, consume, deplete, use up”), Icelandic tæra (“to clear, corrode”). Outside Germanic, cognate to Ancient Greek δέρω (dérō, “to skin”), Albanian ther (“to slay, skin, pierce”). Doublet of tire.

verb tears · tearing · tore · torn

  1. transitive To rend (a solid material) by holding or restraining in two places and pulling apart, whether intentionally or not; to destroy or separate. He tore his coat on the nail.
  2. transitive To injure as if by pulling apart. He tore some muscles in a weight-lifting accident.
  3. transitive To destroy or reduce abstract unity or coherence, such as social, political or emotional. He was torn by conflicting emotions.
  4. transitive To make (an opening) with force or energy. A piece of debris tore a tiny straight channel through the satellite.
  5. often, transitive To remove by tearing, or with sudden great force. Tear the coupon out of the newspaper.
  6. transitive, with down To demolish. The slums were torn down to make way for the new development.
  7. intransitive To become torn, especially accidentally. My dress has torn.
  8. intransitive To move or act with great speed, energy, or violence. He went tearing down the hill at 90 miles per hour.
  9. intransitive To smash or enter something with great force. The chain shot tore into the approaching line of infantry.
  10. intransitive To be interrupted midway through. torn write

noun tears

  1. A hole or break caused by tearing. A small tear is easy to mend, if it is on the seam.
  2. slang A rampage. to go on a tear

tear²

  • /tɪə/ UK
  • /tɪː/ British, Southern, Standard
  • /tɪəɹ/ US
  • /tiə/ New Zealand

Sounds like tier (“layer or rank”) · Rhymes with -ɪə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

From Middle English tear, teer, teere, ter, tere, tyar, tyear, tyer, tær (“tear”), from Old English teagor, tēar, tæher, from Proto-West Germanic *tahr, from Proto-Germanic *tahrą (“tear”), from Proto-Indo-European *dáḱru- (“tear”).

Cognates

Cognate with German Zähre (“tear”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk tåre (“tear”), Faroese and Icelandic tár (“tear”), Swedish tår (“tear”), Gothic 𐍄𐌰𐌲𐍂 (tagr, “teardrop”); also Cornish dager (“tear; drop”), Irish deoir (“tear”), Manx jeir (“tear”), Scottish Gaelic deur (“tear; drop”), Welsh deigryn (“tear”), Latin dacrima, dacruma, lachryma, lacrima, lacruma, lacryma (“tear”), Greek δάκρυ (dákry, “tear”), Armenian արտոսր (artosr, “tear”).

noun tears · teare

  1. A drop of clear, salty liquid produced from the eyes by crying or irritation. Big tears streamed from Lisa's eyes, rolling down her cheeks.
  2. Something in the form of a transparent drop of fluid matter; also, a solid, transparent, tear-shaped drop, as of some balsams or resins. Let Araby extol her happy coast, / Her fragrant flowers, her trees with precious tears.
  3. A partially vitrified bit of clay in glass.
  4. That which causes or accompanies tears; a lament; a dirge. Without meed of some melodious tear. Begin then, Sisters of the sacred well [...]

verb tears · tearing · teared · teare

  1. intransitive To produce tears. Her eyes began to tear in the harsh wind.

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