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 comparison the Arrow tears up the tarmac playbook and moves away from smooth carbon-fiber tubs to use a massive, rugged steel framework to catch some serious air over tree roots, rocks, and mud. — New Atlas, 11 Nov. 2026

Not the discreet tearing up one can hide behind a dive mask, but a full-body violent sobbing. — Avantika Chaturvedi, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 2026

Ripper would break into a pig parlor, tear up the pens and release all the sows. — Jack Wingate As Told To John Phillips, Outdoor Life, 7 Nov. 2026

No game is easy to win in the NFL, but the Cowboys should be licking their chops, looking to get on the field and tear up the Eagles. — David Troy Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 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