tearjerker

play

noun tear·jerk·er \ˈtir-ˌjər-kər\

Definition of tearjerker

: a story, song, play, film, or broadcast that moves or is intended to move its audience to tears

tear–jerking

play \-kiŋ\ adjective

See tearjerker defined for English-language learners

Examples of tearjerker in a Sentence

I'm not in the mood to see a tearjerker. Let's watch something funny instead.

Recent Examples of tearjerker from the Web

There are decent Allenesque situations and humor, but they are undermined by some flat jokes, a running gag that goes on too long and a tearjerker strain toward the end.

— walter addiego, star-telegram, "Slight ‘Dean’ is a fine showcase for Demetri Martin", 30 May 2017
Among their LPs, Pepper is not the most moving (only two tearjerkers) or the most consistent (at least two space-fillers).

— tim de lisle, Newsweek, "The Beatles’ ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ at 50: Why It's Still Worth Celebrating", 14 May 2017
The story's author, who goes by the nom de plume Yoshi, published installments of the tearjerker as downloadable text files on his Web site in May 2000.

— wired staff, WIRED, "Phone Fiction", 1 June 2004

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tearjerker'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.