1
as in ripped
to cause (something) to separate into jagged pieces by violently pulling at it
angrily tore the letter to shreds
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in grabbed
to separate or remove by forceful pulling
tore the book from his hand
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in sped
to proceed or move quickly
she tore out of the room as soon as the phone started to ring
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of torn
Pai had graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a degree in business management, but was torn about getting a job away from the ocean.
—
Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 21 June 2026
Homeless, his body torn, Odysseus needs to get back to her and Telemachus, his anxious son, and to clean up the mess.
—David Denby, New Yorker, 21 June 2026
Reed had torn a thigh muscle in Game 5, forcing him to sit out Game 6.
—Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 18 June 2026
The Jazz also being torn about Boozer is interesting, though.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 17 June 2026
Rail lines were torn from the soil near Buff Bay.
—Literary Hub, 16 June 2026
Invasive trees and plants have been torn out and replaced with native trees and wildflowers.
—Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 16 June 2026
Nichols organized a day where 26 volunteers came together to replace American tattered and torn flags with brand new ones, including David and Sue Hornbrook's torn flag.
—Charlie Lapastora, CBS News, 15 June 2026
Many of the other buses’ hoods, if not completely torn off, could be seen propped open.
—Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 14 June 2026
Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 21 June 2026
Homeless, his body torn, Odysseus needs to get back to her and Telemachus, his anxious son, and to clean up the mess.
—David Denby, New Yorker, 21 June 2026
Reed had torn a thigh muscle in Game 5, forcing him to sit out Game 6.
—Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 18 June 2026
The Jazz also being torn about Boozer is interesting, though.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 17 June 2026
Rail lines were torn from the soil near Buff Bay.
—Literary Hub, 16 June 2026
Invasive trees and plants have been torn out and replaced with native trees and wildflowers.
—Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 16 June 2026
Nichols organized a day where 26 volunteers came together to replace American tattered and torn flags with brand new ones, including David and Sue Hornbrook's torn flag.
—Charlie Lapastora, CBS News, 15 June 2026
Many of the other buses’ hoods, if not completely torn off, could be seen propped open.
—Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 14 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torn
Verb
-
Police alleged that Love ripped a credit card reader from its mount and threw it at the employee, striking her in the head and breaking her glasses.—
Brittany Miller,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2026
-
Perhaps the police ripped it from me that time on Merrion Square.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
Forward Natasha Howard scored 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Lynx (12-3), who have won 10 of their past 11 games.—
John W. Davis,
Oc Register,
18 June 2026
-
Police said one officer grabbed his gun and another grabbed his taser.—
Brandon Downs,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Bill Gates and Warren Buffett sped things up with their Giving Pledge, asking billionaire signers to give away their money during their lifetimes.—
Allison DeGrushe,
StyleCaster,
14 June 2026
-
Graham quickly sped away in a 2023 white Mercedes.—
Brittany Wallman,
Miami Herald,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
Still, the crisis was remarkable in that, despite the 1-billion-plus barrels yanked from the market since February, US and European benchmark crude prices didn’t top the spike following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
16 June 2026
-
The announced attendance was a capacity 80,663, which is a little under 2,000 less than full capacity for the Giants and Jets as seats had to be yanked out down low to fit the regulation soccer field into MetLife Stadium.—
Andy Clayton,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
The tradition of dragon boat races was born from the story that people raced out in boats to search for the poet and threw rice into the river so fish would not eat his body.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 June 2026
-
Across southeast Asia, governments have raced to facilitate deployment of electric vehicles and other fuel-efficiency measures.—
Justin Worland,
Time,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
On April 6, the Dream snatched Reese away from her frustrations with a dysfunctional Chicago franchise by giving the Sky first-round draft picks in 2027 and 2028.—
Terence Moore,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
-
The Maple Leafs snatched up high-scoring Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh, a pending free agent, in a sign-and-trade for a fifth-round pick.—
Alex Kirshner,
New York Times,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
Pedreira added that the announcement may be driven in part by growing pressure from Washington.—
Ivan Taylor,
CBS News,
20 June 2026
-
The throttle and brake pedals have a long, relaxed travel, and the steering is equally slow, making for a machine that can be easily driven in a confident, calm way.—
Tim Stevens,
Robb Report,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
In a lot of cases, Earth’s gravity probably captured these objects and pulled them in, adding them to its growing bulk.—
Kiona N. Smith,
Space.com,
17 June 2026
-
The Telegraph reports that the artist pulled a Russian flag from his pants and threw it in a trash can.—
Brian Boucher,
ARTnews.com,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Torn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torn. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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