tear apart
phrasal 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 figurativelyThe 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
Children and families torn apart The partial pullback comes as children and families across Minnesota continue to be held in immigration detention, amid growing scrutiny of how arrests involving minors are carried out.
—
Hanna Park, CNN Money, 5 Feb. 2026
Seven months later, Rafael and Heather Alambarrio were torn apart.
—Lilly Kersh, Dallas Morning News, 3 Feb. 2026
In Seeking Shelter, Jeff Hobbs exposes the scourge of homelessness that’s tearing apart working families.
—Gabrielle Bellot, Literary Hub, 2 Feb. 2026
But the locker room of an already losing team isn’t being torn apart by a guy who isn’t playing, much less one as affable and positive as Giannis, who clearly wants to do right by Milwaukee.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tear apart
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Hanna Park, CNN Money, 5 Feb. 2026
Seven months later, Rafael and Heather Alambarrio were torn apart.
—Lilly Kersh, Dallas Morning News, 3 Feb. 2026
In Seeking Shelter, Jeff Hobbs exposes the scourge of homelessness that’s tearing apart working families.
—Gabrielle Bellot, Literary Hub, 2 Feb. 2026
But the locker room of an already losing team isn’t being torn apart by a guy who isn’t playing, much less one as affable and positive as Giannis, who clearly wants to do right by Milwaukee.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tear apart
Cite this Entry
“Tear apart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tear%20apart. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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