to tear up

Examples

• All

• -Nope, just tear that up in little pieces -and get rid of that.

  Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)

• After a while, Janette nods, then tears up the ticket as promised.

  Fiction book (1999)

• Yeah, I guess I tore this one up, huh?

  The Nutty Professor (1996)

• Wrote a note, then tore it up

  Clueless (1995)

• Well, you tore up your trade policy and totally reversed it.

  TED-Ed

• Suddenly, he is mobbed by a gang of newsies, who tear up the papers.

  Fiction book (1992)

• The city ground to a halt today as a high-speed ghost chase tore up portions of Lower Manhattan.

  Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)

• She used to tear up my toys, she pulled the heads off my dolls, she used to tear up my homework.

  Bernie (2012)

• Jamie's getaway truck roars around a bend, tearing up a deserted stretch of highway.

  Fiction book (1995)

• He was so frustrated that he decided to tear up all the papers on his desk.

Synonyms

T

to tear

vsto tear up

∞ 1.0

To pull something so it breaks into pieces

is specifically about producing many small pieces or shreds

R

to rip

vsto tear up

646 1.7

To tear quickly and forcefully

describes slower removal into many tiny pieces rather than a single split

S

to shred

vsto tear up

112 2.6

To tear something into small thin pieces

is about making small general pieces rather than thin strips

C

to cut up

vsto tear up

32 1.1

Make something into smaller pieces using scissors or a knife

is specific to making many tiny fragments rather than general chopping

R

to rip it up

vsto tear up

• Informal

11 6.7

To tear something into pieces or throw it away and start again

focuses only on making many small pieces rather than discarding

R

to rend

vsto tear up

10 8.7

To pull something apart with great force

focuses on the result of many small pieces rather than violent force

R

to rip up

vsto tear up

8 2.8

To tear something into small pieces

is the same action expressed in a simple phrase

C

to cut to pieces

vsto tear up

8 5.4

Break something into many small parts or hurt someone very badly

means the physical smallness of pieces rather than the emotional harm

S

to shred document

vsto tear up

1 3.9

To cut important papers into small pieces so no one can read them

applies broadly to making small pieces, not only paper

D

to discerp

vsto tear up

• Archaic

9.9

To tear something into separate parts, usually by force

is about producing many small pieces rather than general separation

Antonyms

R

repair

352 2.3

Work done to fix something that is broken

A

to assemble

169 2.9

To put parts together to make something like a machine or toy

How Torn

to shred

112 2.6

to tear up

39 2.7

to rip

646 1.7

to tear

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology