tear

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++

Related topics: Human

tear1 /tɪə $ tɪr/ ●●● S2 W3 noun  1  [countable usually plural]HBH a drop of salty liquid that comes out of your eye when you are crying 眼泪，泪水 The children were all in tears. 孩子们全都哭了。 She came home in floods of tears. 她泪流满面地回到家里。 I could see that Sam was close to tears. 我看到萨姆都快哭了。 Bridget suddenly burst into tears and ran out. 布里奇特突然大哭着跑了出去。 He was fighting back tears as he spoke. 他一边说，一边拼命忍住泪水。 A lot of people were moved to tears by his story. 很多人都被他的故事感动得落泪。 He kissed her cheek, a gesture that brought tears to her eyes. 他亲了亲她的脸，这个举动让她热泪盈眶。 I must admit I shed a few tears when the school closed. 我必须承认，学校关闭时我掉过几滴眼泪。 I saw grown men reduced to tears that day. 那天我看到成年男子都流下了眼泪。 ‘Please don’t talk like that, ’ Ellen implored him, her eyes filling with tears. “请别那么说。”埃伦恳求道，眼里噙满泪水。 By this time, tears were streaming down my face. 此时，我已泪流满面。 The tears he shed were tears of joy. 他淌下的是喜悦的泪水。 →4  See picture of 见图 FOLD2. it’ll (all) end in tears British English spokenWARN used to warn someone that something they are doing will cause problems or arguments between people 不会有好结果的，不会有好下场的〔用于警告〕 → bore somebody to tears at bore2(1), → crocodile tears at crocodile(4)n COLLOCATIONSphrasesbe in tears (=be crying)When Evelyn put the phone down, she was in tears.be in floods of tears British English (=be crying a lot)By the time she left, she was in floods of tears.be close to/on the verge of tears (=be almost crying)He could see that May was close to tears.there are tears in somebody’s eyesAs she watched, there were tears of joy in her eyes.tears of joy/frustration/rage etcThe tears he shed were tears of joy.verbsburst into tears (=suddenly start crying)She burst into tears and begged me to stay.break down in tears (=suddenly start crying)I broke down in tears when I read the letter.be moved to tears (=be so upset that you cry)Members of the audience were moved to tears by her singing.bring tears to somebody’s eyes (=make someone cry)This unexpected kindness brings tears to my eyes.reduce somebody to tears (=make someone cry)His insults had reduced her to tears, but she had not changed her mind.hold back the tears (=not cry even though you feel like crying)She gave her version of events, often struggling to hold back the tears.fight/choke/blink back tears (=try not to cry)She fought back tears yesterday as she re-lived the horrors she had seen.shed/weep tears (=cry)Don’t shed any tears for him.somebody’s eyes fill with tearsHis eyes filled with tears as he recalled his mother’s sacrifices.tears well up in somebody’s eyes (=tears come into their eyes)She broke off, feeling the tears welling up in her eyes.tears run/roll/stream down somebody’s faceOliver laughed until tears ran down his face.adjectivesbitter tearsShe wept bitter tears of remorse for leaving her children behind.hot tearsI felt the hot tears running down my face.

Examples from the Corpus

tear• tear-stained cheeks• Is that a tear on your face?• I remember it as if I were still standing there, streaked with blood and dust and tears, talking to her.• I snarled, Josefina added terror to her tears and somehow we got through.• Its last 15 minutes had me right where the filmmakers wanted me, which was in tears.• There's a small tear near the corner of the painting.• He had had visions, striding back to Bedford Square, of proper love-making, of tenderness, perhaps some tears.• How did you get that tear in your jacket?• This time was no different and my master left Syon with the tears streaming down his face.• His parents' faces turn ashen when they first see him, then they smile through their tears.tears of joy• I was in tears of joy.• But their tears were tears of joy and gratitude.• There were tears of joy and emotion.• Whether they were tears of joy or sorrow, she could not say.• Eumaeus greeted him with tears of joy and begged him to sit and eat.• Maybe one man with tears of joy and one with tears of sorrow.• But Mrs Taylor began crying even more, this time with tears of joy and relief that her babies were safe.

Related topics: Illness & disability

tear2 /teə $ ter/ ●●● S2 W3 verb (past tense tore /tɔː $ tɔːr/, past participle torn /tɔːn $ tɔːrn/)  1  paper/cloth 纸/布 a) [transitive]TEAR to damage something such as paper or cloth by pulling it hard or letting it touch something sharp 撕破；扯破；划破；戳破 SYN rip Be careful not to tear the paper. 小心不要把纸撕破了。 His clothes were old and torn. 他的衣服又旧又破。tear something on something She realized she had torn her jacket on a nail. 她意识到自己的夹克衫被钉子钩破了。tear something off Tear off the slip at the bottom of this page and send it back to us. 撕下本页下部的回执寄回给我们。tear something out (of something) He tore a page out of his notebook and handed it to her. 他从自己的笔记本上撕了一页递给她。 The dog had torn a huge hole in the tent. 狗把帐篷咬出一个大洞来。 He picked up the envelope and tore it open. 他拿起信封，把它撕开了。 She tore the letter to pieces and threw it in the bin. 她把信撕成碎片扔到垃圾桶里。 Most of her clothes had been torn to shreds. 她身上的衣服大部分地方已经被扯得稀烂。 b) [intransitive]TEAR if paper or cloth tears, it splits and a hole appears, because it has been pulled too hard or has touched something sharp 纸或布〕破裂，被撕裂，被扯破 The paper is old and tears easily. 这纸很旧了，很容易撕破。► see thesaurus at break2  move quickly 快速移动 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]RUN to run or drive somewhere very quickly, especially in a dangerous or careless way 疾驰；飞跑，狂奔 She tore back into the house. 她飞奔回屋内。 We tore down to the hospital. 我们狂奔到医院。 He tore off into town. 他急匆匆赶往城里。► see thesaurus at run3  remove STH 除掉某物 [transitive always + adverb/preposition]PULL to pull something violently from a person or place 〔猛烈地〕撕扯；拔掉；掀掉tear something from somebody/something He tore the letter from my hand. 他一把夺过我手里的信。 A bridge was torn from the bank by the floodwaters. 有一座桥被洪水从堤岸上冲走了。tear something off something High winds nearly tore the roof off the house. 狂风差点把房顶都掀掉了。4  be torn a) if you are torn, you are unable to decide what to do because you have different feelings or different things that you want 左右为难，难以取舍；〔心理或情感上〕被折磨be torn between She was torn between her love of dancing and her fear of performing in public. 她内心充满矛盾，既热爱舞蹈又害怕公开表演。 He was torn two ways. 他左右为难。 Jess was torn by anger and worry. 杰斯的内心被愤怒和忧虑撕扯着。 b) EFFECT/INFLUENCEif a country or group is torn, it is divided because people in it have very different ideas and are arguing or fighting with each other 〔国家或团体〕饱受〔内部不和、争斗的〕痛苦 The country was torn by civil war. 该国饱受内战之苦。 She spent two months in the war-torn city. 她在这个饱受战争之苦的城市里待了两个月。5  muscle 肌肉 [transitive]MIDAMAGE to damage a muscle or ligament 拉伤，撕裂〔肌肉或韧带〕 She had torn a muscle in her leg. 她腿部一处肌肉拉伤了。6  tear loose ESCAPEto move violently and no longer be attached to something 猛地脱开 One end had torn loose. 一端脱开了。7  tear somebody/something to shreds/pieces CRITICIZE informal to criticize someone or something very severely 严厉批评某人/某事物 He tore her arguments to shreds. 他把她的论点驳得一无是处。8. tear somebody off a strip/tear a strip off somebody British English informalCRITICIZE to talk to someone very angrily because they have done something wrong 怒斥某人，痛骂某人9. tear somebody limb from limb literaryATTACK to attack someone in a very violent way 痛打某人；猛烈攻击某人10  be tearing your hair out British English informalWORRIED to feel anxious and upset because you are worried, or because you have to deal with something that is very difficult 〔对某事〕极其烦恼 I’ve been tearing my hair out trying to get done in time. 为了能及时完成我都快疯掉了。11. be in a tearing hurry British EnglishHURRY to be doing something very quickly because you are late 〔因为来不及〕急匆匆12  tear somebody’s heart (out)/tear at somebody’s heart UPSETto make someone feel extremely upset 使某人心碎，使某人极其难受 The thought of her out there alone tore at my heart. 想到她独自一人在那里，我的心都碎了。13  that’s torn it! British English spoken old-fashionedMISTAKE used when something bad has happened that stops you from doing what you intended to do 这下完了！这下倒霉了！ Oh, no, that’s torn it! I’ve left my keys in the car! 噢，不好，这下完了！我把钥匙落在车里了！n COLLOCATIONSphrasestear a hole in somethingShe caught her shawl on a nail and tore a hole in it.tear something openShe tore open the envelope.tear something to pieces/shredsThe dogs tore the meat to pieces.tear something in two (also tear something in half)Jack snatched the letter from him and tore it in two. THESAURUStear to damage paper or cloth by pulling it too hard, or letting it touch something sharp 撕破；划破She unwrapped the present carefully, trying not to tear the paper. 她小心地打开礼物，尽量不撕破包装纸。I tore a hole in my jacket, climbing over the fence. 我爬围栏的时候把外套钩了个洞。rip to tear something quickly or violently 撕；扯Beth excitedly ripped open the package. 贝丝激动地撕开包装盒。Stop pulling my dress! You’ll rip it! 别拉我的连衣裙！会扯破的！split to tear your trousers or shirt when you put them on, because they are too tight for you 〔因过紧〕撑破〔裤子或裙子〕He bent down and split his trousers. 他弯下腰，撑破了裤子。nOh no, now I’ve split my shirt.ladder British English if a woman ladders her tights or stockings, she tears them so that a long thin line appears in them 使〔紧身裤袜或长筒袜〕抽丝Damn! I’ve laddered my tights! 真该死！我把裤袜弄抽丝了！nsnag to catch a piece of clothing on something rough or sharp so that it tears slightlyI snagged my shirt on a nail.shred to deliberately destroy letters, documents etc by cutting them into thin pieces, often by using a special machine 〔通常用碎纸机〕把…切成碎片In order to prevent fraud, it’s best to shred your bank statements. 为预防欺诈，最好将银行对账单粉碎销毁。nI went through all my papers shredding things I didn’t need.frayed torn a little along the edges – used about clothes, carpets etc that have been used a lot 〔衣服、地毯等〕磨成毛边的He was wearing an old pair of frayed jeans. 他穿了一条毛边旧牛仔裤。The rug was a little frayed around the edges. 小地毯四边有点磨损了。nThe jacket was a little frayed at the cuffs. PHRASAL VERBS14 tear somebody/something apart phrasal verb a) tear something ↔ apartHARM/BE BAD FOR to cause serious arguments in a group of people 使分崩离析，使分裂 SYN rip apart Scandal is tearing the government apart. 丑闻把政府搞得四分五裂。 a row that tore the family apart 导致家庭分裂的一场争吵b) literary to separate people who are in a close relationship with each other 使〔关系密切的人〕分离，分开 Nothing can tear us apart! 没有什么能使我们分开！c) SAD/UNHAPPYto make someone feel extremely unhappy or upset 使心里不快；使极其难受 Seeing her so upset really tore him apart. 看到她那么伤心，他感到很难受。d) tear something ↔ apartPULL to break something violently into a lot of small pieces 把某物撕成碎片 SYN rip apart Her body had been torn apart by wolves. 她的身体被狼群撕成了碎片。15 tear at somebody/something phrasal verb TEARto pull violently at someone or something 撕扯 The children were screaming and tearing at each other’s hair. 孩子们尖叫着，互相抓扯着对方的头发。16 tear somebody away phrasal verb LEAVE A PLACEto make yourself or someone else leave a place when you or they do not want to leave 使依依不舍地离开 He was enjoying the fun and couldn’t tear himself away. 他正在兴头上，舍不得离开。 from We finally managed to tear him away from the TV. 我们终于把他从电视前拉走了。17 tear something ↔ down phrasal verb DESTROYto destroy a building deliberately 推倒，拆毁〔建筑物〕 A lot of the old tower blocks have been torn down to make way for new housing. 很多老旧的高层建筑被拆除，腾出地方来建造新住宅。18 tear into somebody/something phrasal verb a) ATTACKto attack someone by hitting them very hard 痛打，猛击 The two boys tore into each other. 两个男孩相互撕打。b) CRITICIZEto criticize someone very strongly and angrily 怒斥〔某人〕 From time to time she would really tear into her staff. 她经常斥责员工。c) to start doing something quickly, with a lot of energy 积极投入 I was amazed at the way she tore into her work. 她对工作的投入让我惊讶。19 tear something ↔ off phrasal verb TAKE OFF CLOTHESto remove your clothes as quickly as you can 迅速脱掉〔衣服〕 He tore off his clothes and dived into the water. 他扒下衣服就跳进水里。20 tear something ↔ up phrasal verb a) TEARto tear a piece of paper or cloth into small pieces 把〔纸或布〕撕碎 SYN rip up She tore up his letter and threw it away. 她把他的信撕碎扔掉了。b) DESTROYto remove something from the ground by pulling or pushing it violently 〔猛地〕拔起，推倒〔某物〕 the remains of trees that had been torn up by the storm 树木被狂风刮倒后留下的残桩c) REJECT/NOT ACCEPT tear up an agreement/contract etc to say that you no longer accept an agreement or contract 撕毁协议/合同等 threats to tear up the peace agreement 要撕毁和平协议的威胁nd) tear it up informal i. to have fun in an extreme way ii. to do something, for example play music or dance, very well on a particular occasion→ See Verb table

Examples from the Corpus

tear• My jacket caught on a nail and tore.• Don't pull on the cloth, it will tear.• I tore a hole in my jacket, climbing over the fence.• I tore a hole in my new blouse.• She tore a page out of her diary and wrote her phone number on it.• Forays had been made at night; scaffolding had been torn down and a few workers employed in building Carewscourt had been killed.• Be careful, the paper tears easily.• Careful - the paper is very old and tears easily.• He walked hesitatingly forward, his skin tensed for the feeling of metal tearing flesh.• Martell has been torn from his wife and stepchildren.• He took my ticket and tore it in half. "Row J, seats 8 and 9."• Celia grabbed the envelope and tore it open.• If they start building here, it will be like tearing my heart out.• Mary tore off downstairs, determined to see the visitors for herself.• The attendant tore off the parking ticket and handed it back.• Peterson tore open the envelope.• A masked man came tearing out of the bank and jumped into a waiting car.• Don't tear pages out of the book.• Bobby tore past, shouting something about being late for work.• He tore the envelope open, his mind full of various pleasing conjectures.• I had torn the knees of my jeans on the rough gravel.• She unwrapped the present carefully, trying not to tear the paper.• Surely tearing up the Pope's picture was meant as a symbolic gesture, not a personal affront.• Worthy mentors work to build you up, not tear you down.• How did you tear your pocket?tore ... open• Muttering some vulgar exorcism to avert the jinx, Juron tore the panel open.• Amelia tore the envelope open and laughed.• Luce tore it open and read: When I tried to ring you I was told that the Diomede number is ex-directory.• She tore open his shirt and began cardiopulmonary resuscitation.• He tore open the cupboard door and peered at the tiny porthole of glass on the front of the central heating boiler.• Frantically she tore open the door to Elinor's apartment.• She tore open the envelope, ignoring the paper knife Penman laid ready for her each day.• When the twig tore the pocket open the letter had dropped out.tear3 /teə $ ter/ noun [countable]  1 TEARa hole in a piece of cloth or paper where it has been torn 〔布、纸等〕撕破的地方，裂口tear in There was a huge tear in his shirt. 他的衬衫上有一个大裂口。 → wear and tear at wear2(2)

Examples from the Corpus

tear• I remember it as if I were still standing there, streaked with blood and dust and tears, talking to her.• Its last 15 minutes had me right where the filmmakers wanted me, which was in tears.• He had had visions, striding back to Bedford Square, of proper love-making, of tenderness, perhaps some tears.• This time was no different and my master left Syon with the tears streaming down his face.• His parents' faces turn ashen when they first see him, then they smile through their tears.• They had to use tear gas to drive off the rioters.tear4 /tiə $ tɪr/ verb [intransitive] especially American English  n1 if your eyes tear, they produce salty liquid, for example because of cold air or smoke SYN water Why does cutting up onions make my eyes tear? n2 tear up phrasal verb if you are tearing up, you are starting to have tears in your eyes because you feel very sad, happy etc As she waved her mother goodbye, she found herself tearing up.→ See Verb tableOrigin tear2 Old English teran

tear1 noun →n COLLOCATIONS1tear2 verb →n COLLOCATIONS1 →THESAURUS1
→PHRASAL VERBS1tear3 nountear4 verbLDOCE OnlineChinese  

comes salty liquid drop Corpus out that of a of

tear

I

tear¹ S3 W3 /tɪə $ tɪr/ noun
1. [countable usually plural] a drop of salty liquid that comes out of your eye when you are crying:
    The children were all in tears.
    She came home in floods of tears.
    I could see that Sam was close to tears.
    Bridget suddenly burst into tears and ran out.
    He was fighting back tears as he spoke.
    A lot of people were moved to tears by his story.
    He kissed her cheek, a gesture that brought tears to her eyes.
    I must admit I shed a few tears when the school closed.
    I saw grown men reduced to tears that day.
    ‘Please don’t talk like that,’ Ellen implored him, her eyes filling with tears.
    By this time, tears were streaming down my face.
    The tears he shed were tears of joy.
2. it’ll (all) end in tears British English spoken used to warn someone that something they are doing will cause problems or arguments between people
⇨ bore somebody to tears at bore²(1), ⇨ crocodile tears at crocodile(4)
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ phrases
   ▪ be in tears (=be crying) When Evelyn put the phone down, she was in tears.
   ▪ be in floods of tears British English (=be crying a lot) By the time she left, she was in floods of tears.
   ▪ be close to/on the verge of tears (=be almost crying) He could see that May was close to tears.
   ▪ there are tears in sb’s eyes As she watched, there were tears of joy in her eyes.
   ▪ tears of joy/frustration/rage etc The tears he shed were tears of joy.
■ verbs
   ▪ burst into tears (=suddenly start crying) She burst into tears and begged me to stay.
   ▪ break down in tears (=suddenly start crying) I broke down in tears when I read the letter.
   ▪ be moved to tears (=be so upset that you cry) Members of the audience were moved to tears by her singing.
   ▪ bring tears to sb’s eyes (=make somebody cry) This unexpected kindness brings tears to my eyes.
   ▪ reduce somebody to tears (=make somebody cry) His insults had reduced her to tears, but she had not changed her mind.
   ▪ hold back the tears (=not cry even though you feel like crying) She gave her version of events, often struggling to hold back the tears.
   ▪ fight/choke/blink back tears (=try not to cry) She fought back tears yesterday as she re-lived the horrors she had seen.
   ▪ shed/weep tears (=cry) Don’t shed any tears for him.
   ▪ sb’s eyes fill with tears His eyes filled with tears as he recalled his mother’s sacrifices.
   ▪ tears well up in sb’s eyes (=tears come into their eyes) She broke off, feeling the tears welling up in her eyes.
   ▪ tears run/roll/stream down sb’s face Oliver laughed until tears ran down his face.
■ adjectives
   ▪ bitter tears She wept bitter tears of remorse for leaving her children behind.
   ▪ hot tears I felt the hot tears running down my face.

II

tear² S2 W3 /teə $ ter/ verb (past tense tore /tɔː $ tɔːr/, past participle torn /tɔːn $ tɔːrn/)1.  PAPER/CLOTH
  a. [transitive] to damage something such as paper or cloth by pulling it hard or letting it touch something sharp
   SYN  rip:
    Be careful not to tear the paper.
    His clothes were old and torn.
    tear something on something
    She realized she had torn her jacket on a nail.
    tear something off
    Tear off the slip at the bottom of this page and send it back to us.
    tear something out (of something)
    He tore a page out of his notebook and handed it to her.
    The dog had torn a huge hole in the tent.
    He picked up the envelope and tore it open.
    She tore the letter to pieces and threw it in the bin.
    Most of her clothes had been torn to shreds.
  b. [intransitive] if paper or cloth tears, it splits and a hole appears, because it has been pulled too hard or has touched something sharp:
    The paper is old and tears easily.
2.  MOVE QUICKLY  [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to run or drive somewhere very quickly, especially in a dangerous or careless way:
    She tore back into the house.
    We tore down to the hospital.
    He tore off into town.
3.  REMOVE SOMETHING  [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to pull something violently from a person or place
    tear something from somebody/something
    He tore the letter from my hand.
    A bridge was torn from the bank by the floodwaters.
    tear something off something
    High winds nearly tore the roof off the house.
4. be torn
  a. if you are torn, you are unable to decide what to do because you have different feelings or different things that you want
    be torn between
    She was torn between her love of dancing and her fear of performing in public.
    He was torn two ways.
    Jess was torn by anger and worry.
  b. if a country or group is torn, it is divided because people in it have very different ideas and are arguing or fighting with each other:
    The country was torn by civil war.
    She spent two months in the war-torn city.
5.  MUSCLE  [transitive] to damage a muscle or ligament:
    She had torn a muscle in her leg.
6. tear loose to move violently and no longer be attached to something:
    One end had torn loose.
7. tear somebody/something to shreds/pieces informal to criticize someone or something very severely:
    He tore her arguments to shreds.
8. tear somebody off a strip/tear a strip off somebody British English informal to talk to someone very angrily because they have done something wrong
9. tear somebody limb from limb literary to attack someone in a very violent way
10. be tearing your hair out British English informal to feel anxious and upset because you are worried, or because you have to deal with something that is very difficult:
    I’ve been tearing my hair out trying to get done in time.
11. be in a tearing hurry British English to be doing something very quickly because you are late
12. tear sb’s heart (out)/tear at sb’s heart to make someone feel extremely upset:
    The thought of her out there alone tore at my heart.
13. that’s torn it__ British English spoken old-fashioned used when something bad has happened that stops you from doing what you intended to do:
    Oh, no, that’s torn it__ I’ve left my keys in the car__
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ phrases
   ▪ tear a hole in something She caught her shawl on a nail and tore a hole in it.
   ▪ tear something open She tore open the envelope.
   ▪ tear something to pieces/shreds The dogs tore the meat to pieces.
   ▪ tear something in two (also tear something in half) Jack snatched the letter from him and tore it in two.
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ tear to damage paper or cloth by pulling it too hard, or letting it touch something sharp: She unwrapped the present carefully, trying not to tear the paper. | I tore a hole in my jacket, climbing over the fence.
   ▪ rip to tear something quickly or violently: Beth excitedly ripped open the package. | Stop pulling my dress__ You’ll rip it__
   ▪ split to tear your trousers or shirt when you put them on, because they are too tight for you: He bent down and split his trousers. | Oh no, now I’ve split my shirt.
   ▪ ladder British English if a woman ladders her tights or STOCKINGS, she tears them so that a long thin line appears in them: Damn__ I’ve laddered my tights__
   ▪ snag to catch a piece of clothing on something rough or sharp so that it tears slightly: I snagged my shirt on a nail.
   ▪ shred to deliberately destroy letters, documents etc by cutting them into thin pieces, often by using a special machine: In order to prevent fraud, it’s best to shred your bank statements. | I went through all my papers shredding things I didn’t need.
   ▪ frayed torn a little along the edges – used about clothes, carpets etc that have been used a lot: He was wearing an old pair of frayed jeans. | The rug was a little frayed around the edges. | The jacket was a little frayed at the cuffs.
     
tear somebody/something apart phrasal verb
  1. tear something ↔ apart to cause serious arguments in a group of people
   SYN  rip apart:
    Scandal is tearing the government apart.
    a row that tore the family apart
  2. literary to separate people who are in a close relationship with each other:
    Nothing can tear us apart__
  3. to make someone feel extremely unhappy or upset:
    Seeing her so upset really tore him apart.
  4. tear something ↔ apart to break something violently into a lot of small pieces
   SYN  rip apart:
    Her body had been torn apart by wolves.
tear at somebody/something phrasal verb
  to pull violently at someone or something:
    The children were screaming and tearing at each other’s hair.
tear somebody away phrasal verb
  to make yourself or someone else leave a place when you or they do not want to leave:
    He was enjoying the fun and couldn’t tear himself away.
    tear somebody away from
    We finally managed to tear him away from the TV.
tear something ↔ down phrasal verb
  to destroy a building deliberately:
    A lot of the old tower blocks have been torn down to make way for new housing.
tear into somebody/something phrasal verb
  1. to attack someone by hitting them very hard:
    The two boys tore into each other.
  2. to criticize someone very strongly and angrily:
    From time to time she would really tear into her staff.
  3. to start doing something quickly, with a lot of energy:
    I was amazed at the way she tore into her work.
tear something ↔ off phrasal verb
  to remove your clothes as quickly as you can:
    He tore off his clothes and dived into the water.
tear something ↔ up phrasal verb
  1. to tear a piece of paper or cloth into small pieces
   SYN  rip up:
    She tore up his letter and threw it away.
  2. to remove something from the ground by pulling or pushing it violently:
    the remains of trees that had been torn up by the storm
  3. tear up an agreement/a contract etc to say that you no longer accept an agreement or contract:
    threats to tear up the peace agreement

III

tear³ /teə $ ter/ noun [countable]
a hole in a piece of cloth or paper where it has been torn
    tear in
    There was a huge tear in his shirt.
⇨ wear and tear at wear²(2)