tear apart

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 figuratively

The 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

Development in the area is seen as strengthening the connection between downtown and the city’s northside neighborhood, torn apart by the construction of the interstate highways in the late 1960s. —Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026

This album tore apart what people thought could come from punk. —Liza Lentini, SPIN, 1 May 2026

The Underground Man is a man torn apart by contradictions. —Big Think, 29 Apr. 2026

Destruction to property was significant and neighborhoods were torn apart, leaving many displaced and without power. —Lauren Bostwick, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026

Rhymes for tear apart

• counterpart
• art
• cart
• carte
• chart
• dart
• fart
• haart
• mart
• part
• smart
• start