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 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
Jail operations commander Jesse Johns said the blankets issued inside the jails are intended to reduce suicide risk but are not impossible to tear apart.
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Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2026
As the focus for finding the gunman intensifies, opportunists seize the chaos as a chance to infiltrate and tear apart the lucrative empire Madam has poured blood, sweat, and tears into building.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 26 May 2026
That’s because Iceland sits on a mid-ocean ridge, a vast seam where Earth’s crust tears apart and oceans grow in the expanding space between.
—Quanta Magazine, 26 May 2026
Their fervent belief in this plan requires, almost incidentally, tearing apart the Democratic Party in order to save it.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tear apart
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Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2026
As the focus for finding the gunman intensifies, opportunists seize the chaos as a chance to infiltrate and tear apart the lucrative empire Madam has poured blood, sweat, and tears into building.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 26 May 2026
That’s because Iceland sits on a mid-ocean ridge, a vast seam where Earth’s crust tears apart and oceans grow in the expanding space between.
—Quanta Magazine, 26 May 2026
Their fervent belief in this plan requires, almost incidentally, tearing apart the Democratic Party in order to save it.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 26 May 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 2 Jun. 2026.
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