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
In 1864, with the Civil War raging and the nation literally torn apart, Abraham Lincoln insisted on holding the election.
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Aron Solomon
september 3, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
Families are scared of being torn apart.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
The imaging and isotope analysis also helped the team separate when the rocks went through more subtle changes versus the more dramatic events, such as when Rodina was tearing apart and magma shot up to the Earth’s surface.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 3 Sep. 2025
Moreover, the domestic slave trade uprooted hundreds of thousands of people, often tearing apart married couples as well as parents and children, sending them hundreds of miles away with no hope of reuniting.
—Marybeth Gasman, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tear apart
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Aron Solomon
september 3, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
Families are scared of being torn apart.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
The imaging and isotope analysis also helped the team separate when the rocks went through more subtle changes versus the more dramatic events, such as when Rodina was tearing apart and magma shot up to the Earth’s surface.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 3 Sep. 2025
Moreover, the domestic slave trade uprooted hundreds of thousands of people, often tearing apart married couples as well as parents and children, sending them hundreds of miles away with no hope of reuniting.
—Marybeth Gasman, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 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 9 Sep. 2025.
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