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Glite Dictionary
😢 A drop from eye ✂️ To rip apart 🪡 A rip 🥲 To produce tears 🏃 To move fast 🎉 A wild spree
to tear

to tear

103 1.0
To have tears in your eyes because you feel sad or your eyes hurt
  • verb
  • /tɛr/
  • Slang
translation icon : lagrimear
  • I try not to breathe, my eyes tearing, and try not to push her away.

You hurt yourself, it burns, it hurts, you tear up.

Examples

  • And I still can tear up because I'm like, I'm here, right?

  • My eyes are tearing up just the fact that this worked out.

  • - Why are they tearing up the flowers?

    Francis of Assisi (1961)

  • Don't tear yourself up, kid.

    Cars (2006)

  • Each year at least one student in each class teared up when reading the official report of his death.

    Academic text (2014)

  • They were sitting sideways and I was trying not to tear up when my daughter got done.

  • I started tearin' up like a little girl tellin' them that... that I go to the School of the Arts.

    Step Up (2006)

  • Many people tear up when they watch emotional movies.

  • She had to wipe her eyes because she started to tear up during the heartfelt speech.

  • He couldn't help but tear up at the touching reunion with his family.

Synonyms

to cry
vsto tear
∞ 1.0

To let tears fall because you feel sad or hurt

is about producing eye wetness from emotion or irritation
to weep
vsto tear
208 1.1

To cry and let tears fall because you feel sad or have strong feelings

is broader, referring to any eye wetness from emotion or irritation
to burst into tears
vsto tear
24 2.4

To suddenly cry because of a strong feeling

is about producing eye wetness more generally, not only sudden starts
to water
vsto tear
21 3.2

To make tears in the eyes or make the mouth produce more liquid

is limited to producing eye wetness specifically from emotion or irritation
to sob
vsto tear
15 1.0

To cry with short, noisy breaths

is simply producing eye wetness, without noisy breathing or sound
to shed a tear
vsto tear
14 3.5

Cry a little, often with one tear

is broader, referring to producing eye wetness generally
to cry one's eyes out
vsto tear
  • Informal
7 4.2

Cry for a long time because you feel very sad

is neutral, covering light or strong eye wetness without long duration
to bawl one's eyes out
vsto tear
  • Informal
3 7.6

Cry very loudly and for a long time

is about producing eye wetness but not necessarily loud or uncontrolled

Antonyms

to dry up
19 2.7

To lose all water or moisture so it has none left

Idioms

to shed a tear
14 3.5

Cry a little, often with one tear

on a tear
  • Informal
5 8.4

To be very successful for a short time

to tear someone a new one
  • Offensive
3 9.8

To scold someone very harshly

to tear (someone) a new one
  • Offensive
2 9.9

To scold someone angrily

to tear one's hair out
  • Informal
1 7.7

To feel very frustrated and worried because of a problem

Phrasal Verbs

to tear down
123 3.7

To destroy a building or other structure completely

to tear up
39 2.7

To rip something into small pieces

to tear out
24 4.8

To pull something out with force

to tear apart
  • Informal
21 5.6

To criticize someone or something harshly

to tear off
12 3.0

To pull something off quickly until it rips

to tear away
6 4.5

To pull something off quickly with force

to tear into
  • Informal
4 7.4

To attack or criticize someone strongly

to tear hair out
  • Informal
1 8.5

To feel very frustrated because you cannot fix a problem

to tear-gassing
  • Literature
1 6.4

To use tear gas to make a crowd leave a place

to tear up the dance floor
  • Informal
7.7

To dance with great energy and make people excited

Compounds

tear-gas
  • NSFW
57 4.4

A chemical that makes eyes water and people cough to make crowds move away

wear and tear
17 3.0

Slow damage that happens to things like cars or furniture from normal use over time

tear gas
15 3.7

A gas that makes people's eyes burn and makes them cry, used by police to break up crowds

tear duct
  • Specialized
5 3.2

A small tube that carries tears from the eye gland to the eye surface

tear sheet
  • Jargon
1 7.1

A page from a magazine or newspaper you can easily remove and keep as proof

tear-gassing
  • Literature
1 6.3

Using tear gas to make a crowd leave a place

tear-gas
  • NSFW
6.4

Containing or caused by the chemical that makes eyes water and people cough

tear sac
  • Specialized
7.2

A small pouch near the inner corner of the eye that collects tears before they drain into the nose

tear gland
  • Specialized
2.7

A small part of the eye that makes tears

How Tearful

to sob
15 1.0
to cry
∞ 1.0
to tear
  • Slang
103 1.0
to well up
23 5.2

Surface Forms

tear infinitive
tearing present participle
tears third person singular
tore past
torn past participle

Etymology

Tear (of the eyes: to produce tears) comes from the old noun tēar meaning 'drop from the eye', so for your eyes to tear is to make those salty drops.