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

In Iran, Afghans have been attacked by mobs and baselessly accused of collaborating with Israel; some legal residents have had police tear up their documents in front of them. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 31 Aug. 2026

State Farm reduced its payouts to policyholders by more than a billion dollars as massive storms tore up the rooftops of houses in Oklahoma, according to company documents released as part of an ongoing series of lawsuits. — Abigail Brooks, NBC news, 30 Aug. 2026

The flood tore up buildings, roads and other infrastructure along its path; the full extent of the damage will likely take weeks or even months to assess. — Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 27 Aug. 2026

The animals tear up crops, pastures, fences, roads and waterways, damage habitat used by native wildlife and can carry diseases capable of affecting livestock, wildlife and humans. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 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