tear up

verb

tore up; torn up; tearing up; tears up

transitive verb

1

: to damage, remove, or effect an opening in

tore up the street to lay a new water main

2

: to perform or compete with great success on, in, or against

couples tearing up the dance floor

a batter who's tearing up the league

Examples of tear up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These are the first federal funds directed to the landslide area since the city declared a local emergency in October 2023, when land movement began reaching unprecedented levels, tearing up roads, splitting homes and upending utilities. —Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026

The store, which is in the midst of a three-year refurbishment, has torn up its fourth floor and dedicated the entire space to wellness with a 360-degree offer that also includes clothing and accessories. —Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 7 May 2026

With the school tearing up the current turf at Albertsons Stadium in June, why not turn the old surface into one of the more unusual collectible pieces in college football? —Larry Holder, New York Times, 6 May 2026

Rumfield tore up spring training to earn the job after being acquired via a January trade with the Yankees for reliever Angel Chivilli. —Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 30 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1620, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tear up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup