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
More homes have collapsed or been torn apart since.
—
Jim Edwards, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025
Below, an adult brown bear stood vertically in the water, tearing apart its most recent catch.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 27 Sep. 2025
Arguably the quintessential dark academia novel, Tartt’s campus narrative centers a group of six Classics students who are torn apart after one of them winds up dead.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
No scales fell from his eyes, no repulsion at witnessing babies being torn apart by dogs awakened his consciousness.
—Greg Grandin
september 23, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tear apart
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Jim Edwards, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025
Below, an adult brown bear stood vertically in the water, tearing apart its most recent catch.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 27 Sep. 2025
Arguably the quintessential dark academia novel, Tartt’s campus narrative centers a group of six Classics students who are torn apart after one of them winds up dead.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
No scales fell from his eyes, no repulsion at witnessing babies being torn apart by dogs awakened his consciousness.
—Greg Grandin
september 23, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tear apart
Cite this Entry
“Tear apart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tear%20apart. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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