tear up
verb
tore up; torn up; tearing up; tears up
1
: to damage, remove, or effect an opening in
tore up the street to lay a new water main
2
: to perform or compete with great success on, in, or against
couples tearing up the dance floor
a batter who's tearing up the league
Examples of tear up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As the car got closer to home, Baumgartner’s son gleefully recorded his father tearing up seeing more and more spectators line the road.
—
Andrew Greif, NBC news, 30 Jan. 2026
Brooks isn’t too macho to tear up during these reminiscences.
—Judy Berman, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
Even Luka coming back and tearing up.
—Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 30 Jan. 2026
That’s the shift Gabe, who regularly tears up stages on random Wednesday evenings in the city, has been going through.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tear up
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Andrew Greif, NBC news, 30 Jan. 2026
Brooks isn’t too macho to tear up during these reminiscences.
—Judy Berman, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
Even Luka coming back and tearing up.
—Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 30 Jan. 2026
That’s the shift Gabe, who regularly tears up stages on random Wednesday evenings in the city, has been going through.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tear up
Cite this Entry
“Tear up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tear%20up. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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