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 figuratively

The 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

And yet, amidst the joy, there lingered a silent acknowledgment of our losses, of the lives stolen, of homes destroyed, and families torn apart. —Literary Hub, 13 Nov. 2025

As the pair fight for the throne of Norway, the land is torn apart by fierce rivals, shifting loyalties, and bloody betrayals. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 12 Nov. 2025

This occurs when a star wanders too close to a black hole and gets torn apart by its immense gravity. —Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 9 Nov. 2025

To speed up the decomposition process in the compost pile, chop the plants into small pieces and tear apart the soil mass. —Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Nov. 2025

Rhymes for tear apart

• counterpart
• art
• cart
• carte
• chart
• dart
• fart
• haart
• mart
• part
• smart
• start