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

And this attack on the monuments in Utah is just one facet of this larger attack that’s trying to push and pull and tear apart the system of federal lands in our country. — Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 16 July 2026

The western part of the state had been ravaged by the remnants of Hurricane Helene, torn apart in a way never imagined by one of the worst natural disasters the area had ever experienced. — Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 13 July 2026

Families torn apart The disaster has led to a particularly complex situation for those children who were separated from parents whose fate remains unclear. — Osmary Hernández, CNN Money, 11 July 2026

Evil Dead Burn follows a family whose lives are torn apart after a demonic spirit invades their home in the wake of a death. — Nigel Smith, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026

Rhymes for tear apart

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