tearjerker

tear·jerk·er | \ ˈtir-ˌjər-kər

How to pronounce tearjerker (audio)

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Definition of tearjerker

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

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Examples of tearjerker in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web Soul will arrive in theaters on June 19, 2020, just a few months after Pixar’s March 2020 release, Onward, another original tearjerker (from Monsters University director Dan Scanlon) which was first announced at D23 two years ago. — Marc Snetiker, EW.com, "Pixar’s Soul reveals cast: Tina Fey, Jamie Foxx, Daveed Diggs, and more," 24 Aug. 2019 The youngest cast member at the time, Williams kicked off the first of countless tearjerker moments peppered throughout the series just from her first solo performance. — PEOPLE.com, "The 10 Most Gut-Wrenching Episodes of Dawson's Creek That Still Stick with Us, 20 Years Later," 20 Jan. 2018 Here are seven predictions for what’s to come in season three of The Crown, including Camilla Shand, a political revolution, and the one plot point that’s guaranteed to be a tearjerker in light of recent events. — Emma Dibdin, Town & Country, "7 Predictions For The Crown Season Three," 7 Nov. 2019 The tearjerker, which Swift wrote with Jack Antonoff, is a get-well-soon ode to the singer’s mother, Andrea, who is battling cancer. — Lauren Huff, EW.com, "Dixie Chicks hit Hot 100 for first time in 12 years with Taylor Swift collaboration," 3 Sep. 2019 The actress, 72, has faced mortality on screen numerous times, notably in the classic tearjerker Stepmom. — Nigel Smith, PEOPLE.com, "Susan Sarandon Jokes She's 'Only Offered Films Where I'm Either Dying or Helping Someone Die'," 6 Sep. 2019 According to Deadline, the classic 2004 tearjerker (based on the best-selling 1996 Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name) is officially Broadway-bound. — De Elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "Nicholas Sparks's "The Notebook" Is Headed to Broadway," 6 Jan. 2019 The last quarter of the book is devoted to lists of books by subject: funny, tearjerkers, great girl or boy characters, kindness and empathy, and self-acceptance and identity, among others. — Wendy Fawthrop, Los Angeles Times, "Review: Two pros aim to make reading fun for kids in ‘How to Raise a Reader’," 30 Aug. 2019 Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon were Heathcliff and Cathy in William Wyler's lush adaptation of Emily Bronte's novel, the standard against which all tearjerkers are measured. — Brian Lowry, CNN, "Essential movies of the 1930s and '40s, from 'King Kong' to 'The Heiress'," 15 Aug. 2019

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.

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Dictionary Entries near tearjerker

tearing strength

tear oneself loose/free

Statistics for tearjerker

Last Updated

10 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Tearjerker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tearjerker. Accessed 28 Feb. 2020.

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