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 figuratively

The 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

Someone's tearing apart your LinkedIn post, questioning your expertise, maybe even getting personal. —Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025

This number doesn’t even account for another 27,000 U.S. citizens in Florida who live with DACA recipients and worry each day that their families could be torn apart. —Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 June 2025

His disrespect for the truth and his burning hate for anyone who disagrees with him is tearing apart our country. —Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 1 Aug. 2025

But when open conflict broke out between Israel and Iran on June 13, that plan was torn apart. —Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 24 July 2025

Rhymes for tear apart

• counterpart
• art
• cart
• carte
• chart
• dart
• fart
• haart
• mart
• part
• smart
• start