tear apart
phrasal verb
tore apart; torn apart; tearing apart; tears apart
1
: to completely destroy (something) by tearing it into pieces
I couldn't open the box nicely, so I just tore it apart.
—often used figurativelyThe robbers tore apart the house looking for the money.
We tore the other team apart in yesterday's game.
We can't agree, and it's tearing our family apart.
2
: to criticize (someone or something) in a very harsh or angry way especially by describing weaknesses, flaws, etc.
The article tears apart the company's handling of the situation.
They tore him apart when he left.
Examples of tear apart in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The French part of the Franco-Dutch airline was being torn apart by labor troubles and paralyzed by strikes — made famous by a photograph in 2015 of company executives fleeing over a fence with their shirts ripped off by protesters.
—
Albertina Torsoli, Fortune, 22 Apr. 2024
Alex Garland’s dystopian political action film Civil War about an America torn apart appears to be fending off new vampire pic Abigail at the box office.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Apr. 2024
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country torn apart by decades of conflict, women and girls live with a daily reality of violence, extreme hardship, and the denial of fundamental rights.
—Volker Türk, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
The film, which takes place in a fractured America torn apart by civil war, is projected to make around $20 million in its opening weekend.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
So telling the story of an America torn apart through the eyes of a group of journalists made sense.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Images shared on social media appeared to show at least one structure partially torn apart after the incident.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2024
Deborah Collins caught her twin sister Elizabeth in bed with her husband last week, Hall says, tearing apart their lifelong bond.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 1 Apr. 2024
The show chronicles a family torn apart by war and hatred.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 27 Mar. 2024
Albertina Torsoli, Fortune, 22 Apr. 2024
Alex Garland’s dystopian political action film Civil War about an America torn apart appears to be fending off new vampire pic Abigail at the box office.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Apr. 2024
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country torn apart by decades of conflict, women and girls live with a daily reality of violence, extreme hardship, and the denial of fundamental rights.
—Volker Türk, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
The film, which takes place in a fractured America torn apart by civil war, is projected to make around $20 million in its opening weekend.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
So telling the story of an America torn apart through the eyes of a group of journalists made sense.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Images shared on social media appeared to show at least one structure partially torn apart after the incident.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2024
Deborah Collins caught her twin sister Elizabeth in bed with her husband last week, Hall says, tearing apart their lifelong bond.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 1 Apr. 2024
The show chronicles a family torn apart by war and hatred.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 27 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tear apart.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tear apart
Cite this Entry
“Tear apart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tear%20apart. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
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