tear up

verb

tore up; torn up; tearing up; tears up

transitive verb

: to damage, remove, or effect an opening in

tore up the street to lay a new water main

: 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 So just tear up your own super-white, super-secret papers into teeny tiny little confetti-size pieces and sprinkle them over what is left of the EPA’s authority to regulate dioxins (and everything else). —

Pat Beall, Orlando Sentinel, 21 July 2024 His mother, Bev Vance, stood for the applause and appeared to tear up and hold a tissue to her eyes. —

Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 18 July 2024 British forces cut down multi-acre stands of trees and tore up farm buildings for lumber to build their barracks. —

Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024 Calls for a toning down of heated political rhetoric have come from all over, including from Biden and Trump; Trump reportedly tore up his acceptance speech after the shooting to craft a more conciliatory one. —

Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 15 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for tear up

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tear up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.