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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The person is lying down right now, seemingly unconscious, bicycle torn up. Larry Seward, CBS News, 26 June 2026 While her husband tears up the small screen, Spencer works outside of the entertainment industry. Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 26 June 2026 No wonder so many instructors are tearing up their lesson plans and bringing back the old-school approach. Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 22 June 2026 During her closing argument, Adams also questioned Pino’s wife’s testimony that Pino was torn up by the crash, showing the jury social media posts shared months after the crash. Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 22 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for tear up

Word History

First Known Use

1620, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tear up was in 1620

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Cite this Entry

“Tear up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tear%20up. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.

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