tear up

verb

tore up; torn up; tearing up; tears up

transitive verb

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

Round 1, Pick 7, Boston Red Sox Player Actually Selected No. 10: Cornelius Randolph, SS, Philadelphia Phillies Benintendi came out of nowhere to win the Golden Spikes Award in 2015 as a draft-eligible sophomore, then tore up the minors for a year before debuting with Boston in August 2016. —Keith Law, New York Times, 18 June 2025

In a behind-the-scenes video filmed at the end of her last day on set for the show’s fifth season, Gomez tears up as her castmates and the show’s crew cheer for her. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 18 June 2025

As a working mom who spends a good chunk of the day in the car — ripping and running from work to school pickups, daycare drop-offs, and never-ending errands (not to mention weekend activities to keep my sons from tearing up the house) — some of my most stressful moments happen behind the wheel. —Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 17 June 2025

Meanwhile, a local food cooperative or a solar microgrid can reduce emissions, empower people, and build social cohesion, all without tearing up another mountain. —Nathalie Kelley, Time, 17 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1620, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tear up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup